Changing Seasons
by SportsnAnimeManiac
Summary: Natsu and Gray's relationship changes like the seasons, you never know how they're going to interact with each other. Join them as they discover their-selves and what it truly means for them to be Natsu and Gray. Prompt-fest NatRay/Gratsu bro-ship or otherwise - no longer accepting prompts as I have not been able to write for two years...OOPS
1. Prompt 1 - At What Cost

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns the magical world that is Fairy Tail and its characters :)**

 **Warnings: Language, Violence, Blood, Fluff, Shounen-ai/Yaoi, Potential OOC-ness**

The guild lay crumpled…

 _It was happening_.

Echoes of screams saturated the blackened sky…

 _It was his nightmares come to life._

Blood was splattered like a grotesque form of art on the debris covered ground…

 _Once again, his life was levelled right before his very eyes._

His guild mates, his family, broken like toys that were played with too roughly…

 _He was destined to lose everyone he ever cared about._

Even the one he loved, the most determined of them all, lay lifeless on the gravel…

 _How had it come to this?!_

FTFTFTFT

Natsu groaned loudly as he pushed himself to his feet; his bones and muscles protesting with every slight movement he made. The pink haired dragon slayer cursed under his breath as he finally righted himself and took in the destruction of his home. He centered himself and gathered his fire to his hands, prepared to start where he left off before he was knocked out, only to have all the tension leave his body.

Instead of seeing a power crazed maniac standing over the corpses of his family members, he saw that some of the members were actually awake and were helping the wounded. The pinkette sighed in relief as he let his legs collapse from underneath him in exhaustion. He ran his fingers through his hair and laughed under his breath; somehow, they had managed to survive. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he wondered exactly _how_ that was possible.

Now, he would be the first to admit that he didn't usually think about these types of things. Usually all that mattered to him was that they won, everyone was safe and sound and the jackass who decided to make their lives hell was beaten so badly that he or she wouldn't have the balls to go after them or anyone else ever again; he would leave it at that and life would go on…but something just wasn't sitting right with him and he didn't know what it was.

He scratched his cheek and looked up at the overcast sky, maybe he was overthinking things. After all, he wasn't exactly conscious to see the defeat of their attacker so maybe he was unsure because he wasn't the one to put the bastard down; yeah that sounded right. Natsu smashed his fist into his palm as the lingering tension left his body, everything was going to be alright; he was sure of it. Suddenly, his ears twitched as a familiar voice called his name. He turned his head to the right to see a blonde mage and an Exceed running towards him with an armoured mage in tow.

"Lucy, Happy, Erza!" He called back; waving tiredly, "It's good to see you guys made it out alright, that was definitely a close one!"

"Yeah," Lucy chuckled weakly when they finally reached him, "That battle was a little too close for comfort."

Natsu hummed in agreement as he took in his friends' bedraggled appearances; there wasn't a spot on their body that wasn't covered in bandages. He shifted slightly and hissed under his breath and quickly realized that he'd probably match them once Wendy got her hands on him; not that he'd be complaining too much, he was freaking sore. He shifted his gaze to the quiet red head only to see that Erza was looking around them; she was probably still wired from the battle.

"Natsu!" Happy chirped as he flew into Natsu's chest enthusiastically; nearly knocking the breath out of him, "I'm so happy you're alright; I was so worried about you!"

The pinkette smiled brightly at the blue Exceed and patted his head soothingly,

"You don't need to be worried Happy, I'm the best mage in the world remember!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered as he hugged the fire mage even tighter; though despite the happiness he had from seeing that his friends were alright, he couldn't help but think that something was missing.

"Natsu," The celestial mage tilted her head to the side curiously, "How did you manage to defeat him? The last I saw he was practically immortal…it was as if he was…"

The pinkette's eyes narrowed in distaste as he thought of the silver haired bastard who attacked their home. As if the first time he did it wasn't bad enough, he actually had the gall to try again; only this time he was there for revenge instead of under the pretenses of obtaining Éclair and the Phoenix Stone. The dragon slayer definitely wasn't expecting to see him again, let alone alive, as far as he knew the head of the Carbuncle Guild, Dyst, was destroyed when the Phoenix was put down…apparently that wasn't the case.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly,

"Actually, I was hoping that one of you guys would know; the asshole managed to knock me out before I was able to land the final blow."

"You mean, _you weren't_ the one who took him down?" Lucy's eyes widened as he shook his head, "But, if you didn't…then who did?"

Natsu was about to open his mouth to ask her what the heck she was talking about when suddenly Erza moved drawing their attention to her once frozen frame. Her brown eyes shifted towards him as she addressed them.

"Have," She swallowed tensely, "Have either of you seen Gray anywhere?"

At that moment, the dragon slayer felt a stone drop into his stomach as the feeling he had earlier returned full force. He jumped to his feet and simultaneously stretched his draconic senses out towards the apparently wayward ice mage only to come up empty; what the hell was going on?

"No," He raised an eyebrow, "No one's seen him?"

The requip mage shook her head,

"No, I just assumed he was with you…that's usually where he always is; fighting or otherwise."

Natsu folded his arms across his chest,

"I don't even think he was near me when I was knocked out; in fact, before I was knocked out I thought I was the only one left standing. Are you sure that the Ice Princess didn't just wander off somewhere? He isn't really one for being fussed over after all."

"I guess that's true," Erza conceded reluctantly.

The pinkette scoffed under his breath,

"See, the ice bastard is probably fine; he's probably hurting because his ego was bruised, you know how he is."

Yeah, he told himself, that's what happened to the dumbass stripper; the loser was making them worry for nothing. Not that Natsu was actually worried, no sir, there was absolutely no way he was worried about Gray Fullbuster. The ice block could handle himself, even if he had the snot beat out of him just moments before; there was no way he would do something stupid, even if he had the chance to do so…

"But Natsu," Lucy's nervous voice pulled him out of his mini self-reassuring pep talk, "I overheard Juvia talking to Gajeel and Levy and she doesn't even know where he is; that's why we thought that he'd be with you."

The corner of his lip twitched slightly,

"Well maybe he managed to avoid her; she's good at keeping an eye on him, but not _that_ good."

The blonde mage stared at him flatly,

"We are talking about _Juvia_ ; I wouldn't be surprised if the girl had some kind of chip on him somewhere."

His hands clenched into fists,

"I'm telling you Lucy, you have nothing to worry about; the popsicle is perfectly fine…"

A firm, armoured hand wrapped around his wrist dragging his attention to Erza who was staring at him evenly. He gulped out of reflex and prepared himself for a smack down, after all why would the Queen of the Fairies need a legitimate reason to discipline him, when nothing seemed to happen.

"If you truly believe what you're saying Natsu," She stated sternly, "Why do you look like you're ready for a fight."

"What are you…"

The dragon slayer glanced down at his hands and his eyes widened; when exactly did his hands catch fire? He willed for the flames to die, just so he could prove Erza wrong (the ice prick was _fine_ after all), only for a vaguely familiar scent to brush against his nose with the passing wind; only the scent smelled _off_ somehow…it smelt like…

Natsu's heart thudded painfully in his chest as he yanked his wrist out of Erza's grip and made a mad dash towards the smell of the distorted scent. There was no denying the fact that the scent he was smelling was winter mint and pine trees; the scent Gray gave off (not that he actually paid attention to what Gray smelt like, because that would be weird), but at the same time it was different and it wasn't a good kind of different...

"Natsu!" He nearly jumped as Happy's voice shouted in his ear, "Where are you going?"

He simply shook his head and kept his mind on following Gray's scent. There was no point in giving Happy's hopes up; the ice mage might not even be there anymore and that was why the smell was so tainted. He could faintly hear the girls following close behind him, but he pushed that to the back of his mind…

Gray wouldn't do something stupid…he promised.

He promised that he would live to walk a path with his comrades…didn't he?

Didn't Natsu's voice reach him that day on Galuna Island when he told the dumbass not to die?

As he was about to enter the brush of the forest that resided just outside Magnolia, Natsu found himself tripping over something and landing on his face. He groaned as his wounds were jostled and he slowly pushed himself to his knees; this would be the moment where Gray would normally curse at him for not watching where he was going…he never thought he'd miss hearing that. The pinkette shook his head from side to side in an attempt to get his thoughts back in order. He lifted his head when he started to push himself off his knees only to completely freeze.

In front of him was the partially frozen body of the leader of the Carbuncle Guild, Dyst. The man's silver-turquoise hair was tipped with edges of frost while his entire body up to the base of his left wrist was covered in ice. Dyst's onyx eyes seemed to laugh at the pinkette as he continued to stare at him; it was more than a little unnerving…more importantly…

"How…" Natsu blinked stupidly, "How did you get _here_?"

The dark mage smirked tiredly,

"I made a wager and it seems as though we've come to a bit of a stalemate…although it's pretty hard to tell seeing as I am unable to determine the status of the other participant."

"The other…"

The words got caught in Natsu's throat as he once again took in the ice that engulfed Dyst's frame. Robotically, the dragon slayer's head turned to look behind him…towards the object that he had tripped over when he entered the brush…no, towards the _person_. Without even a second glance at Dyst, he scampered on his hands and knees to the fallen body of his rival…his best friend…his…

His heart clenched painfully as he took in Gray's torn and bloody hands as well as what looked like faint cracks that outlined his body. With hesitation that was not normally attributed to him, Natsu reached out and touched the ice mage's neck in an attempt to find a pulse; however, his hand immediately withdrew with a hiss escaping his mouth as he felt how cold Gray was to the touch. He also noticed the lines of blood spilling from Gray's ears, eyes, nose and mouth…

Even he knew that this wasn't a good sign.

"Natsu!" Happy's voice cheered as he entered the clearing; Lucy and Erza in tow, "There you are; you're not allowed to just disappear like that; we have to look for Gray!"

When he heard his comrades' feet come to a sudden halt he knew that they saw what he was looking at; he couldn't draw his eyes away. He felt an armoured hand clamp down on his shoulder causing him to shake his head and bring himself back into reality once more. He watched as Erza slipped off her gauntlet and carefully brushed her hand under Gray's bangs so that she could feel his face.

"We need to get him help immediately," She muttered loud enough for Natsu to hear, "Happy, grab Lucy and bring her to the guild; we need to get Wendy to start heading here quickly."

"Erza…" Lucy's voice quivered.

"Now!"

"Aye sir!" Happy saluted tearfully as he flew over to Lucy and grabbed the back of her tank top and flew back to the guild hall.

Natsu thought that he could hear the Exceed complaining about Lucy being too heavy, but he pushed it to the back of his mind and brought his attention back to Gray, Erza and Dyst who was still frozen in Gray's ice.

"You," Erza called a sword to her hand a stalked towards the trapped mage, "You're going to tell me what happened _right now_! And Natsu, you need to try and keep Gray warm or else he's not going to make it until Wendy gets here."

The pinkette flinched as though he had just been stabbed in the gut; Gray wouldn't make it? That…that just couldn't be possible…there would be no such thing as Fairy Tail if Gray wasn't there by his side. He called upon some of his magic, enough to heat him up, and then carefully gathered the ice mage into his arms; clenching his teeth as he felt Gray's ice cold skin come into contact with his own. He really didn't like this look of this; he didn't like it at all.

"Tell me what happened," Erza ordered the dark mage tersely, "Or I'll eviscerate you right where you stand."

Dyst smirked darkly at the red haired mage,

"There really isn't a need for that now Titania; especially since this ice is already doing the job for you."

Erza's blade lowered slightly at his words,

"The ice…"

Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the hairline cracks that laced Gray's frozen figure,

"He used it, didn't he."

The silver haired man turned his bored eyes on the pinkette,

"If you're asking if that fool used Iced Shell in an attempt to defeat me, then the answer would be yes; it was part of the deal after all."

The dragon slayer nearly choked on his breath as Erza spoke,

"Deal, what deal?"

Dyst went silent once more as he seemed to contemplate something; his onyx eyes lingering on the motionless form of the ice mage. Natsu growled under his breath and tried to keep Gray as far away from the mage's gaze as possible. The telekinetic mage smirked at the action before turning his gaze towards Erza's imposing figure once more.

"It was simple really," Dyst scoffed, "I wanted to destroy Fairy Tail for their interference in Veronica, which in doing so nearly destroyed my dream, while the ice mage wanted nothing more than to protect his only family from my menace."

Natsu's grip tightened around the ice mage,

"Stop beating around the bush and get on with it; I'm not in the mood for listening to your psychotic bullshit."

"Natsu," Erza warned sternly; her eyes still firmly on Dyst, "Let the man speak as he pleases, he hasn't much time left anyway. Now tell me, what was the deal that you made with Gray?"

The telekinetic mage cackled,

"Isn't obvious you Fairy Tail worms? The deal was that the ice mage was to sacrifice himself so that I would let you trash live!"

FTFTFTFT

It's been two weeks since that day.

Natsu's knee bounced up and down as his honey eyes watched over the ice mage as he slept. How could the asshole do this to them…their family…to _him_ ; how could Gray even think of throwing away his life for them. The dumbass Ice Princess should have known that they were able to survive anything. Even if their opponent was nothing short of an immortal monster, Gray should have had faith that they would be able to pull through; they were Fairy Tail wizards after all, they were strong.

Why didn't Gray see that?!

The pinkette rubbed his hand through his hair and sighed through his nose loudly; Gray pissed him off. He took in the ice mage's still form on the bed, with his arms set perfectly by his side and his face looking straight up at the ceiling. Natsu didn't like the unnatural way that Gray was laying. For as long as the pinkette knew the raven, Gray never slept perfectly straight; he was often sprawled out on the mattress with his legs hanging off the bed. With Gray sleeping the way he was now, Natsu could almost convince himself that it wasn't the ice mage lying in the bed at all.

But that was just a pipe dream.

Natsu's eyes lingered on the faint lines that persistently littered Gray's pale skin; no matter how much Wendy tried to heal him they wouldn't fade. When the old hag came to check on him, she said that the lines wouldn't disappear; they would remain as a testament to what would happen if one relentlessly tapped into the forbidden magic that was Iced Shell. He knew that if Gray ever woke up from this, the ice mage wouldn't care about more scars on his body; he'd only care that he was able to keep his family safe…

Idiot, even if they were safe, there would've been a hole left where the ice mage used to be if he didn't make it. Natsu rubbed his forehead in exhaustion as he slowly reached out to Gray and wrapped his hand around the cool fingers of his rival and best friend. He couldn't help but smile at the fact that he was able to at least touch the ice mage without worrying about getting frostbite; Wendy was at least able to heal him enough that his magic was able to start replenishing and his internal temperature was starting to return to normal.

"Natsu-san," A small voice called from the doorway, "You should really eat something, Gray-san wouldn't like it very much if you got sick because of him."

The pinkette turned his head and noticed the small form of Wendy standing in the entrance of the room with her hands clasped tightly. He slowly released Gray's hand and rested his elbows on his lap as he addressed the younger mage.

"I'm fine Wendy, you don't have to worry about me."

The young blunette fidgeted,

"I know you're scared Natsu-san, but he's going to be okay, I promise."

The older dragon slayer laughed under his breath,

"Who said that I was scared? Of course the Ice Princess is going to be okay; you're the best healer Fairy Tail has."

"Thanks for the praise Natsu-san," Wendy's cheeks turned pink, "But I know that you're worried about Gray-san…Erza-san, Lucy-san, Happy, and everyone else they're worried too…has something like this happened before?"

Natsu pursed his lips as his eyes wandered over to Gray once more,

"Something like this, only last time I was able to stop him from going too far; Gray's an idiot."

Wendy's laugh caused him to look at her again,

"What's so funny? I'm being serious you know!"

The sky dragon slayer smiled at the fire dragon slayer in a way that could only be 'Lucy'. The young girl was clearly spending too much time with the celestial mage lately and was starting pick up on her crafty ways. He jumped slightly when he felt a slim hand resting on his shoulder; he glanced into the brown eyes of the blunette as she smiled at him.

"I just find it funny that you and Gray-san are so alike, yet so different."

His eyebrows furrowed slightly,

"What do you mean? Ice bastard and I are fire and ice, we couldn't possibly be more different than that Wendy."

"If you think about it Natsu-san, fire and ice kind of depend on each other." Wendy tilted her head cutely, "Without ice the fire could rage out of control while without fire the ice could remain in solitude forever; it's a strange relationship, but an important one, don't you think?"

Natsu couldn't help but stare at the sky dragon slayer owlishly as she smiled at him before walking towards the motionless Gray. He watched as she sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed and set her hands over the ice mage's body; a bright green glow stretching from her fingertips to rest on Gray's torso. After a few moments, Wendy pulled her hands away and smiled at the pinkette tiredly.

"Gray-san should probably wake up soon," She told him brightly, "There isn't much else I can do, it's up to him now."

The fire mage nodded,

"Right, thanks Wendy; I'll keep an eye on him for a little bit longer."

"Of course," She laughed, "But remember to keep an eye on yourself too Natsu-san, we don't need Gray-san worrying about you when he wakes up."

He smirked softly as he watched Wendy's retreating back,

"As if the ice bastard would worry about me."

FTFTFTFT

Natsu's eyes burned as he struggled to keep them open.

Goddamnit, he was tired; he hasn't felt this tired since the battle with Hades and Grimoire Heart back on Tenrou Island. He forced back a yawn as he placed his hand back in the ice bucket to drench the wash cloth that rested at the bottom of it. He grimaced at the cold feeling, but ignored it; he may hate it, but the ice mage needed this right now.

Sometime that afternoon after Wendy had checked up on him, Gray had come down with a high fever; a fever so high that it was next to impossible to bring it back down again. The old hag was called in again, much to her distaste, to check on the raven to see if he was alright. According to her, it was the result of what the Carbuncle bastard did to him; not that the asshole actually _told_ them what happened. After revealing the deal that was made between him and Gray, Dyst had shut his mouth and refused to say anymore on the matter. Erza believed that it was because even if the forbidden ice covered a little over half of the man's body, the ice was doing what it was intended; it was sucking the life force right out of Dyst's body.

Natsu rung the rag out and, with gentleness that many thought he didn't possess, he wiped Gray's brow. He smiled softly as Gray, though he was unconscious, leaned slightly into the coolness of the cloth. The pinkette relaxed when he noticed the action; that probably meant that the ice princess was going to wake up soon. He put the cloth back into the ice bucket and found himself with his fingers hovering over Gray's face. He didn't know why, but he wanted to touch him; he wanted to make sure that his comrade was alright…

 _Comrade…_

Was Gray Fullbuster truly just his comrade?

He laughed to himself under his breath; who was he kidding, he could answer that question himself. Out of all his comrades, his family members, Gray was special to him. His relationship with the ice mage was far different than any of the relationships he shared with the other members of Fairy Tail. They fought like brothers, they protected each other as brothers would, but at the same time it always felt like there was something more.

Something that he never truly let himself think about.

Of course, he probably wouldn't have thought anything of their strange relationship if it weren't for what Gray said to him during the Lullaby fiasco with Eisenwald; the moment when Gray had asked him not to die. Until that moment, he had thought nothing of their friendship/bro-ship; after all it was nothing more than a love-hate relationship that consisted of more hate than love…but then the ice princess had to go and say something like that.

Since that moment, their way of living changed.

He pressed his fingers to his forehead and glared at his bedridden rival; why did Gray always make him think so much…he hated thinking. He preferred when things were simple. He preferred when Gray and him would fight about everything and get in each other's faces. He preferred when they barely tolerated each other; their interactions just seemed much simpler then. But, at the same time; he was happy that he and Gray had changed. For the first time since they met each other they could talk about things without wanting to rip each other's head off…

Well, most of the time anyway; Gray was an idiot after all.

"Ah!" Natsu growled to himself, "What the hell is wrong with me?!"

A harsh, dry chuckle suddenly reached his ears:

"What the hell isn't wrong with you flame brain?"

Natsu's breath caught in his chest as the familiar voice reached his ears. He was immediately drawn to the deep blue droopy eyes of Gray Fullbuster and the asshole had the balls to be smirking at him. The pinkette growled angrily and grabbed onto the nightshirt that was put on Gray after he was brought to the guild hall infirmary from the forest; he pulled the ice mage forward so that they were virtually nose to nose.

"After pulling a stunt like that, you're seriously going to say that to me?!" He hissed, "You almost died this time you ice bastard!"

The ice mage's smirk quickly turned into a frown,

"As you can see I'm not squinty eyes…"

Natsu shook him furiously,

"That is not the point! What the hell did you do that for Gray?! Did you not have faith in us?! We always manage to pull through, you had absolutely no reason to give up your life like that!"

"No _reason_ ," Gray spat dangerously; a shaky hand quickly latching onto one of Natsu's wrists, "Goddamnit flame head, you have no idea what it was like for me do you?! I thought that you were all dead! I came to and Dyst was the last one standing; he was standing over _your body_! The guild was in ruin, the town was going to be next; I thought I had nothing left!"

"Nothing left?" Natsu whispered, his grip on Gray's shirt slackened, "Even if we were dead, which is impossible by the way, you still have Lyon and Ultear; what would happen to them if you died Gray…especially through casting Iced Shell, did you even think of what that would do to them?"

The ice mage shut his mouth stubbornly and resolutely turned his head away from the dragon slayer. Natsu huffed under his breath in annoyance as he slowly dropped the grip he had on Gray's shirt. His anger still thrummed through his veins like a drum, but a small part of him also understood Gray's actions. He knew Gray's past and he knew that the raven would always be afraid of losing the people he cared about again; this battle with Dyst must have brought all his fears back to the surface. But still, that wasn't an excuse for Gray to give up his life, he still had so many people who cared about him.

"Lyon would have been fine," Gray finally muttered, "He has his guild and our relationship has always been tense; he would've found a way to move passed this. As for Ultear, I don't even know where she is, so there was that slight chance that she wouldn't even have heard about it."

Natsu scowled at his rival,

"Do you honestly believe that? If you do, you're more stupid than I thought."

Gray glared at him darkly,

"I don't deserve to hear that from you; if there's anyone stupid here it's you fire breath."

The pinkette rolled his eyes and glared at the wall behind Gray's head; why was the ice block so damn infuriating. He cursed under his breath as he moved closer to the ice mage and placed the back of his hand against Gray's forehead. He felt the raven jump under his touch, but he kept his hand there as he tried to determine how his fever was fairing; he was willing to admit that being a fire mage had a few drawbacks.

"What are you doing?" Gray asked incredulously.

"Trying to see if you still have a fever dumbass," Natsu shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever that asshole did to you is causing you to have a fever; I was tasked with making sure it went down."

Gray's eyes looked at him flatly,

"And how would a fire dragon slayer be able to tell I have a fever; your body is already several degrees hotter than mine."

Natsu smirked at the annoyed ice mage,

"My, my Gray, I didn't know you thought of me in that way."

Instead of the squawk of outrage and maybe a few curses he thought he was going to get for the comment, Natsu was surprised to see that Gray snapped his jaw shut and his fevered cheeks seemed a little redder. The pinkette narrowed his eyes at him curiously, but was taken out of his thoughts when Gray huffed shakily under his breath.

"That's not what I meant dumbass." He folded his arms across his chest.

"I know what you meant," Natsu raised an eyebrow, "And I can tell if your fever is still there because your skin isn't as cold as normal; I thought that would be obvious."

Gray rolled his eyes once more and avoided his gaze once more. Natsu huffed under his breath; he's been doing that a lot lately. The pinkette frowned as he noticed that the ice mage took notice of the hairline scars that marked his forearms and covered the rest of his body. The raven sighed as well before glancing up at Natsu who had finally pulled his hand away from Gray's forehead.

"So Iced Shell really did nearly get me this time huh," He whispered, "I guess performing magic like that doesn't come without a price."

"If you wanted to die to protect us," Natsu found himself asking, "Why the hell would you use Iced Shell? The one spell that you said you were never going to use again."

Gray bunched his fingers the blanket that pooled around his lap,

"I wasn't planning on it at first, but then I realized that even if I traded my life for all of yours, there wasn't a way of knowing if he'd actually follow through on the deal; I wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be able to hurt you or anyone else ever again…and the only way I knew of that could stop a potential immortal was to use Iced Shell which had the ability to suck out the life force of the being it was casted on.

"As soon as the ice started to spring up around him, he decided to up his ante…it felt like my brain was going to explode."

Natsu thought back to the day he found Gray lying in the brush; the blood that streamed from all his orifices clearly pointed out to the fact that it nearly happened. If it weren't for the ice sucking out Dyst's immortality and thus siphoning his magic power Gray probably wouldn't have survived; Natsu has tasted the silver haired bastard's telekinetic magic many times and it was strong.

"But I'm alive and all of you are alive," Natsu nodded at Gray's implied question causing the ice mage to smile, "So everything is going to be alright."

The pinkette frowned,

"But it's not Gray, you don't seem to get that you were one step away from dying. _One fucking step_ , if we didn't get you to Wendy any sooner…"

"I couldn't live without any of you!" The raven cut him off, "Goddamnit Natsu, I thought all of you died! When I saw you lying there, I thought you were dead! I've loved you all this time and I never…"

Natsu's heart stuttered in his chest as the flustered words tumbled out of Gray's mouth. He could tell the exact moment when Gray realized what he said because his mouth closed with a resounding snap and his bandaged hands shook with tremors. The pinkette reached out to try and grab onto the ice mage's hands only for the injured raven to jerk away from his touch.

"I did not just say that."

"Gray…"

"Nope, I most definitely did not say that." The ice mage muttered to himself, "This is a dream, yeah that's it, I'm dreaming."

"Gray."

The slightly older teen whipped his head towards him; his blue eyes bright with anxiety and apprehension…an apprehension that Natsu himself did not feel. As if on automatic, Natsu felt his arms reach out and felt Gray's warmed cheeks as his hands touched the alabaster skin. He watched as the ice mage's eyes widened as Natsu brought their faces closer and closer together… and then it happened.

Natsu's lips closed over Gray's in a searing kiss; his hands on the ice mage's face being the only stabilizing factor. All the confusion that he felt while Gray was unconscious, all the questions he had since that day when Gray told him not to die were finally answered. The worry, the hate, the anger, the happiness, the warmth, everything he felt up until this very moment…it was all because of Gray. The ice mage wasn't only just his rival or his comrade or even his brother, Gray was so much more…

He pushed back the need to take anything further and slowly pulled away from the frozen ice mage; if he was in his right mind, he'd probably find that statement very ironic. He stared into Gray's confused eyes as the raven seemed to be processing what just happened. After a few brief moments, Gray snapped out of it and grabbed the front of Natsu's muffler and pulled him forward so that their noses were practically touching once more.

"I swear to whatever is out there that if you're screwing with me Natsu Dragneel," He hissed darkly, "I will end you."

"Nah," Natsu smiled as he flicked a dark strand out of Gray's face, "You wouldn't do that, fire and ice can't live without each other aye?"

A small smirk wormed its way onto Gray's face,

"Don't sound like Happy stupid."

THE END

 **Happy Canada Day Minna! :D**

 **Here's the first story for my prompt-fest as was donated by the amazing EternalFlame401! :) I hope that I met your expectations, I'm not too sure how I feel about it yet (especially the end) sigh…it just seems so rushed! This was so hard to write lol but that's because I'm at the point where I have no confidence in my writing whatsoever! So if you guys are waiting for my other stories, I promise that I'm working on them; it might just take a while! I'm sorry!**

 **If anyone Guests or otherwise would like to send me a prompt, I still have free spots for this month so don't be afraid to PM me (if you're a guest you can leave your prompts in the comment box :D) Waiting on your awesome reviews!**

 **-sktrgrl**


	2. Prompt 2 - Is it the END?

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns the magnificent world that is Fairy Tail**

 **Warnings: Language, Blood, Violence, Angst, Shounen-ai/Yaoi, Spoilers for up to ch. 436 in the Manga, Potential OOC-ness**

Gray struggled to his knees; the wounds on his body protesting with every move he made. He glanced around him to see the bodies of his guild mates littering the ground around him. He released the breath he didn't know that he was holding when he felt his family's magic still pulsating around the area. He knew that Acnologia would be strong even if he was in his human form. After all, he bathed in the blood of dragons and became a dragon himself. Even Igneel, the strongest of all dragons, only managed to take the monster's arm while the monster took his life.

Ishgar…The Battle against Tartaros…

Natsu had also lost a father that day; the very day that he had killed his own. It only made sense that the dragon slayer would want revenge on the dragon that took the life of his parent, just as Gray himself would do anything in his power to find E.N.D to finish the mission that his father had given his life to complete. He understood why Natsu would want to go after Acnologia, however, that did not mean the fire bastard was allowed to go after someone that strong alone.

Which is evidently what he had done.

He cursed under his breath as he pushed himself shakily to his feet and felt as blood drooled down his arm from a wound in his shoulder, but he ignored it for now; he had an idiot to find. He should have realized that Natsu would go off on his own once his family members were taken down. If Gray were in his position, he would've done the same thing; he would've done anything he could to make sure that his family wouldn't get hurt any more than they already had.

But he was awake now, and there was no way he was going to let Natsu fight this shithead alone. He called his magic to his hands, as much as he dared, and formed a dome made of ice over his family members to keep them safe for as long as he was gone. After all, he had no idea if Acnologia had anyone on his side; who knows, maybe Zeref himself would show up; the dark wizard did have a habit of appearing where the Dragon of the Apocalypse did and a minimal defense would be better than none.

At least he'd be able to tell if the dome he created was breached.

Gray placed his hand on the dome and created a small opening so that he could start looking for the flaming idiot. Why did the dragon slayer always insist on being so damn reckless; especially when he gets mad whenever anyone else is reckless. Natsu Dragneel was a walking conundrum that spewed fire at any given point during the day. There was no doubt that Natsu would be able to take care of himself, but there's no telling what would happen if the pink haired dumbass lost it because he was facing his father's killer.

He sealed up the hole behind him and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath so he could try and pick out Natsu or Acnologia's magic; even if neither of them practiced demon magic, he was sure he'd be able to find some trace of them. He smiled slightly as his stomach churned and the warmth of Natsu's magic flooded his senses. He was able to find the pinkette faster than he thought he would; he must be getting stronger…or Natsu was just so strong that he shone like a beacon.

He chuckled under his breath,

"That sounds about right."

He rotated his sore shoulder tenderly before heading in the direction that he could sense Natsu. He found another smirk making its way onto his face as he finally saw the tell-tale stream of smoke rising from the trees. The ice mage broke into a run through the trees as his heart thudded in his chest; a loud roar reached his ears prompting him to run even faster. He had to get to Natsu and help the idiot.

Natsu was the light of Fairy Tail; if it were to be put out…

Gray didn't even want to think about it. Through the last two years (eight if you counted the time he spent on Tenrou Island), he and Natsu's bond had grown immeasurably since they were children. Instead of fighting every second of every day, they had somehow become _friends_. Of course that term had to be used loosely because honestly Natsu annoyed him more than 85% of the time and he knows that the flame head feels the same way. But Natsu is also the only one that he feels that he needs to prove himself to; even more so given the fact that both Ur and his father are dead.

Or so he continues to tell himself.

Just as he was about to question where the hell Natsu and Acnologia were, Gray came to break in the trees and slowed down to a stop as the sound of voices reached his ears. One of the voices was most definitely the flame brain and the other was new, but he also just heard it moments ago when Acnologia appeared in front of them in human form. He concealed himself in the bushes as best as he could so that he could listen in on them; maybe he could find the right time and attack Acnologia from behind so that Natsu could get a hit in.

He glanced at Natsu and noticed that he was breathing heavily; he could probably keel over at any given second. His face was cut and his extremities had burns on them from Acnologia's attacks. As much faith as he had in the dragon slayer, he knew that the pinkette probably wouldn't last too much longer; even if the pinkette seemed pretty damn near invincible sometimes.

"Natsu Dragneel," Acnologia stated flatly, "You are far _weaker_ than I expected."

"Sh-Shut up you bastard," Natsu spat at the ground and wiped his chin, "I'm going to take you down!"

The fair haired dragon slayer raised an unimpressed eyebrow,

"I highly doubt that, you're nothing like you father and you're nothing like your brother; you're useless."

Gray's own eyebrows furrowed at the insult; since when did Natsu have a brother? After all the years he spent with the pinkette in Fairy Tail he never said anything about having a brother. The only thing that Natsu ever talked about finding was Igneel, so he guessed that was the only family that he ever had. But, if he thought about it there was no way that the dragon slayer could have always been with Igneel, he had to have had some sort of family before the dragon found him. Maybe his brother was some sort of great mage or something; that would make sense considering all the mad power that Natsu seemed to possess.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Natsu growled deep in his throat, "But I'm still going to kick your ass for killing Igneel and for attacking my family!"

Acnologia then seemed to look at Natsu with something akin to sympathy,

"Do you honestly not know the truth Natsu Dragneel?"

A shiver travelled down Gray's spine as the pure anger and hatred on Natsu's face contorted him into something much more terrifying than a dragon. As the ice mage watched him, a dark feeling churned inside him and could feel his slaying magic struggling to break onto the surface; was there a demon nearby? He was about to get to his feet to see if it was one of Acnologia's minions only to freeze when he saw an amused glare appear in the dark dragon's red eyes.

"Ah," Acnologia licked his lips, "So you do know the truth; have you told your Fairy Tail _family_ your true identity yet?"

Natsu's fists clenched as flames started to lick his arms,

"Be quiet."

A tense silence did engulf the surrounding area causing Gray's heart to pound in his chest as the oppressive atmosphere pressed down upon him. He raised his head to look at the two mages again to see that Acnologia's searing red gaze had found his own. All his muscles stiffened as the fair haired dragon's deadly gaze stayed locked on him.

"Is it because you can smell one of your friends nearby?" Acnologia mocked him, "That has to be it; why else would you deny who you truly are? That's not really like you at all."

Natsu tensed as he glared at the dragon mage,

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about; so shut your mouth and fight me properly!"

"Are you worried about the demon slayer?" Acnologia ignored him as his eyes continued to stare directly at Gray, "Come on out demon slayer, you've probably heard enough to peak your interest."

Gray gulped as he shifted his gaze over to Natsu whose honey coloured eyes stared at him with a mixture of anger, hatred and worry. The ice mage cracked his knuckles nervously and walked out of the bushes; feeling Acnologia's red eyes on him as he moved. He was about a meter away from Natsu when his demon slaying magic urged him to a stop. He frowned to himself as he noticed the inky darkness of his demonic side peering through his pale skin; it hasn't done something like this in over six months…at least not without his command.

Just what the hell was going on?

"So, you must be Gray Fullbuster; the demon slayer of Fairy Tail I presume." Acnologia addressed him with a smirk, "It's nice to formally meet you, sorry I couldn't play with you a little earlier, I had more pressing needs at hand."

"Clearly," Gray scowled at the fair haired man, "Just what do you want with Natsu anyway? He's a dumbass with the same amount of brain cells as a plant; I'm guessing you figured that out already."

Surprisingly enough, not a single quip or shout of annoyance reached his ears. He raised an eyebrow expectantly at his comrade only to see that the bastard was avoiding his gaze. His forehead furrowed in confusion as Acnologia's laugh filled the air. He turned his deep blue eyes towards the dark dragon and noticed a full-blown smile on the man's face.

"I can't help but wonder, how long have you known Natsu Dragneel?"

The raven scoffed and rolled his eyes,

"That's not any of your business now is it."

"Oh I find it very much my business," He smiled darkly, "Considering the fact that as a demon slayer you're not fulfilling your duties; your father would be very disappointed in you."

Gray's magic swirled dangerously as he glared hellfire at the man,

"Don't you dare talk about my father as if you know him and like hell I'm not doing my 'duties', if there was a demon threatening my family I would do anything in my power to slay it."

"Gray…"

The ice mage turned to glare at the strangely silent dragon slayer,

"And you, what the hell is wrong with you?! Did this asshole cut out your tongue or something?!"

"No," Natsu denied without hesitation, "But Gray, there's nothing you can do here; I don't need your help, so get lost."

Gray bristled at the outright insult and clenched his fists at his sides. How dare the dragon slayer say something like that to him! They had spent years fighting alongside each other, fighting with each other, and the bastard had the balls to stomp on his pride like that. He glared at the pink haired mage as he resolutely kept his eyes on Acnologia and refused to make eye contact with the ice mage himself. Where did the hot head get off on treating him this way; he thought that they were passed this bullshit.

"I think it's a little late for that Dragneel," Acnologia smirked in amusement, "Gray Fullbuster what if I were to tell you that the only living relative of Zeref and his strongest creation, E.N.D. was standing right in front of you and you didn't even know it."

He stared at the dragon in disbelief, E.N.D. is standing in front of him; after a year of waiting and getting stronger, the demon was actually here. But what was that about Zeref's only living relative; how was that relevant to the situation. Was Acnologia more important than anyone ever could have realized; was he actually a demon rather than a dragon slayer turned human?

"Gray," Natsu hissed, "Don't listen to a word he says…"

The raven opened his mouth to demand what the hell Natsu's issue was, only for Acnologia to cut him off before he had the chance to make a comment.

"You're not looking in the right place demon slayer," The fair haired dragon rolled his eyes, "Have you ever wondered what E.N.D. stood for; Zeref told me the meaning himself."

Gray's attention shifted from Acnologia to look at Natsu who growled irritably and allowed his fire magic to consume him even more. His slaying magic only seemed to grow even more restless the longer that he stared at the dragon slayer; what the hell was that about. Natsu's eyes met his almost on instinct and Gray nearly fell backwards as he noticed the pinkette's honey eyes giving way to a bright red.

"What the…"

Acnologia laughed,

"It looks like I have to tell you; E.N.D and Zeref's living relative are one in the same. E.N.D. is an acronym for the strongest demon of all time; the one demon who is able to stand against Zeref."

"Don't!" Natsu shouted furiously; his entire body lit by his flames as he dashed towards the dark dragon."

"E.N.D.," Acnologia muttered distortedly as his body began to shift shape, "is none other than Etherious Natsu Dragneel; Zeref Dragneel's resurrected baby brother."

Gray felt his world, his very existence, stop at that very moment.

All the fight, all the annoyance and anger, that he felt just seconds before left him in a blink of an eye. There was no way that this asshat was telling him the truth; he had to be lying. The dragon would've seen Natsu and him fighting Mard Geer that day Ishgar…maybe the coward was trying to put a wedge between them so that they'd fight each other instead of him. It was no secret how much he hated E.N.D., he was sure that all of Earthland knew of his mission by now; especially after his stint with the Avatar guild. That had to be what this was, there was just no way…

But as he stared at Natsu, the enraged and powerful dragon slayer, launch an attack at the dark dragon; he knew in his heart that Acnologia wasn't lying. Everything that has happened in the past ten minutes was starting to make sense. Being able to latch onto Natsu's magic so quickly, his demon slaying magic becoming so restless and finally Natsu's red eyes; it was all becoming too clear. Unknowingly, Gray sunk down to his knees and clutched his head in his hands; his heart was thudding painfully against his ribcage and his chest heaving from the harsh pants that escaped his throat…

 _His rival._

 _His best friend._

 _His goal._

 _His most important person._

 _The one person in the entirety of Earthland that he believed in the most was actually Zeref's great demon, E.N.D. the whole time…_

 _And he didn't even know it._

The sound of battle rushed his ears in a cacophony of noise as he watched Natsu fight Acnologia. Flames of red and blue were being fired in every direction and all he could do was watch…watch as two demons tore through a forest. Gray lowered his hands off his head and shakily dropped them to his side and clenched the grass that tickled his fingertips…he would get their attention. The ice mage gathered his slayer magic within his chest and set his frozen deep blue eyes on the fighting mages as he inhaled through his mouth,

"Ice Demon's Rage!"

Shards of ice and snow immediately came forth and rocketed towards the oblivious mages. He screamed until he was sure that his throat would go raw and bloody; he would make that flame bastard heard him loud and clear. Gray watched as both the dragon slayers cursed and dove away from the ice attack mere moments before it struck either of them. The battleground was silenced to only leave Gray's harsh breaths as he fought to gather his wits and his words; there would be time for battle in the future.

"What the hell ice princess?!" Natsu roared at him furiously, "Watch where you're aiming that thing, you almost hit me!"

The raven ignored his outburst and stared at him,

"How long…"

The pinkette stiffened slightly,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Gray smashed his fists into the ground causing icicles to shoot up from the grass in quick succession. Natsu was once again forced to jump out of the way or else risk getting skewered by a stray chunk of ice. The ice mage slowly pushed himself to his feet and raised himself to full height; his sharp, frozen gaze hidden by his raven coloured hair.

"Don't you dare lie to me!" He spat, "Don't you dare stand there and lie to my face! How long have you known you were E.N.D.?!"

Natsu flinched as if Gray had struck him, but he could honestly care less at the moment. He would glare at the dragon slayer all day if he had to; was going to get his answers goddamnit! However, he was pulled out his one sided glaring contest when an amused snort reached his ears. His gaze shifted from Natsu to Acnologia who was now leaning against a tree with his arms folded across his chest.

"It seems as though you'll be busy with something else Natsu Dragneel," Acnologia smirked, "So how about we pick this up another time…that is, if you survive this."

"No!" Natsu snapped out of his thoughts, "You're not going anywhere!"

Rage consumed Gray's body as the pinkette continued to run away from what was happing in front of him. Without thought, the raven's legs started to move; a stumble that turned into a walk, then into a jog, then finally until a full out sprint as he ran over to Natsu and sent a fist flying into the dragon slayer's cheek; veering him off his rampage. Gray didn't notice when Acnologia transformed into his dragon form and he didn't notice when the dark mage flew away; his eyes were only for Natsu…

"Gray!" The pinkette shouted furiously, "You let him get away, damnit! We could have dealt with this later; this might have been our only chance!"

"Don't feed me that bullshit!" Gray shouted back; his hand fisted into the front of Natsu's muffler, "You and I both now that you'd continue to avoid this until the bitter end Natsu! Now answer me; how long have you known the truth?!"

The ice mage regarded his counterpart as the dragon slayer looked up at him; the back of one of his hands brushing against his now bruised cheek. When Natsu looked like this, he looked like he did when Gray had punched him on Galuna Island; the moment he had said that he was going to use his fire to melt the ice surrounding Deliora. Things were simpler back then; they were barely friends…they tolerated each other for the sake of Lucy and so that they could escape a beat down from Erza.

But, now everything was different…

"I've…" Natsu sighed loudly as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I've known for about a year now; I found out on my travels with Happy…when I was trying to get stronger."

Gray blinked at him for a moment before a sardonic laugh bubbled forth from his chest. He could feel Natsu looking at him, but he couldn't find himself caring. He pressed the palms of his hands to his forehead and laughed until he couldn't breathe anymore. When he finally felt his laughter subside, he glanced at Natsu through his fingers and forced himself to breathe deeply.

"To think," He chuckled brokenly, "I've been with E.N.D. the entire time; my dad is probably laughing at me from up there."

The pinkette pushed himself to his feet and reached out to him,

"Gray…"

"Don't," His heart thudded painfully, "Just don't…"

He watched Natsu's hand drop to his side and then forced himself to look away. He looked down at his unsurprisingly bare chest; his eyes landing on the navy blue guild mark that rested over his pectoral. His hand absently brushed over the mark; maybe it was time he left Fairy Tail…indefinitely. Suddenly, a fiery fist landed against his cheek sending him skidding across the grass and into a nearby tree trunk. He gasped as his back dug into the bark and he fell on his side heaving as he tried to get the air back into his lungs.

"Wh-what the hell flame brain?" He raised his head to look at the dragon slayer incredulously.

His eyes widened as he took in the appearance of the mage standing in front of him; in a matter of moments the Natsu standing in front of him was no longer the Natsu he knew. Natsu was replaced by a being with burning red eyes and hair as white as snow. His once tanned skin was covered in black and red scales; steam emanating from every part of his body.

"Thank you," A distorted voice reached Gray's ears, "You helped free me from my prison demon slayer."

"E.N.D.," He propped himself on his elbows and stared at the _demon_ , "You're, you're E.N.D.?"

The demon cackled ominously and clapped his clawed hands slowly,

"Look at that, it seems as though the slayer is a genius; give the runt a prize!"

Gray couldn't help but shudder as he took in Natsu's true form; was this really the monster that Natsu had been hiding all this time. He pushed himself to his feet as his back protested his movement. He leaned against the very tree he was thrown against as he tried to gather his bearings. His attention was pulled towards the demon once more as another laugh reached his ears.

"What's wrong demon slayer?" He clicked his tongue, "Have you never faced an actual demon before?"

His mind immediately jumped to Deliora and then to Doriarte before finally Mard Geer,

"Yeah, but you would know that wouldn't you?"

E.N.D. smiled at him broadly,

"I guess you have faced a demon, but you were always too _weak and defenseless_ to do it on your own; instead other people had to lose their lives for you."

Gray frowned darkly,

"Shut up, you don't know what the hell you're talking about."

The demon swiped his tongue against his lips,

"I'm not sure about that; it haunts you at night doesn't it? Your mother's death, your teacher's death, the death of her daughter, and your father's death…you're weak demon slayer, you'll never be able to defeat me; at least not before another one of your loved ones loses their life."

The air immediately frosted over as ice sprouted from around Gray's feet,

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Before the demon could even make a move, the ice mage dashed towards the demon and brought his hands together rapidly. The demon's destruction being the only thing on his mind as he called forth the demon slaying magic that was granted to him by his father; he would avenge his father if it was the last thing that he ever did.

"Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!"

Gray grasped the ornate sword tightly in his hands as he swung at E.N.D. with all his might; a trail of ice following it as he followed through. The demon ducked under his first blow with the same damn smirk on his face before grabbing onto the sword when Gray went to strike him again. The slayer scowled as he noticed the steam rising from his weapon from the mere touch of the demon.

"Come now demon slayer," E.N.D. tittered, "Is that seriously all you have? How pathetic are you?!"

The raven cursed as he wrench the blade out of the demon's grip and inhaled,

"I won't let you defeat me! I promised my father that I would put an end to you! Ice Devil's Rage!"

Gray couldn't help but smirk as he noticed the amusement had slipped off the demon's face. However, he realized that it wasn't for the reason that he thought for the demon merely shifted his stance so that his feet were a shoulder width apart. His eyes widened as the demon took the form for a spell that he had witnessed all too often in his childhood.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

He moved from his position just as the two magic's met on a head-on collision causing an explosion to erupt. Nearby trees were ripped from the ground and thrown haphazardly to the side as if they were rocks. Gray's eyes narrowed at the cloud of smoke that erupted in the middle of the battle field before running right into the middle of it. He closed his eyes and reached out to Natsu's magic so that he could better pinpoint his location.

"Did you honestly think you could defeat _me_ demon slayer," The distorted voice echoed around him, "I was created in order to stop Zeref; do you honestly think a measly mage like you could be powerful enough to destroy me?"

Gray tried to ignore him and push what the monster was saying to the back of his mind; he couldn't lose focus. He could still faintly hear the demon picking him apart as he struggled to grab onto the loose tangent of power that was emanating from it. He had to defeat E.N.D.! He had to protect his family, his friends, he had to prove that his father's sacrifice was worth something! But most of all, it was his duty as a Fairy Tail wizard to protect the innocent even if it was at the cost of his most important person…then suddenly…

He had it.

His deep blue eyes shot open as he sprinted through the steam and swung to his left with all his might. A guttural scream of pain nearly shattered his eardrums as the sword managed to cut the demon across the chest from shoulder to hip. Gray was met with glowing red eyes as the steam started to finally dissipate, but he didn't hold back anymore; even if it was Natsu, he would not hold back! Gray poured every ounce of demon slaying magic into his sword and attacked E.N.D. relentlessly. For the first time in his life, he was going to protect everyone he cared about; no one was going to die because of his weakness.

Each attack he landed caused another roar of pain to erupt from the demon's throat; the black blood was splattering the ground with every hit it took. Gray felt the sword beginning to crack in his hands; it wouldn't be able to hold up against the demon's skin that much longer; but he'd keep going until the sword shattered. He would win this battle; he could feel it, the demon wasn't even fighting back anymore…

He paused in his attacks.

He stared at the demon and it stared back at him; its red eyes blank and looking through him. It was clear that E.N.D. was on its last legs, just one blow would be enough to finish it and his father's dream would be completed. Gray raised his sword to attack, but found that his body wouldn't move; something was _stopping_ him from finishing the job. He glanced down at his own body to check if any of his injuries was prohibiting him from moving when he noticed it…

He didn't have any injuries…well fresh ones anyway.

"What's the matter demon slayer?" E.N.D.'s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, "Are you too weak hearted to finish me off? I could always find your family members and fight them if you wish; I could always go for more entertainment."

Gray's hand clenched tightly around his cracking sword,

"No, you won't do that."

"Oh?" The demon cackled before spitting blood onto the ground, "And what makes you so confident of that?"

The ice mage stared evenly into the demon's eyes,

"Because you're not truly E.N.D., you're Natsu-fucking-Dragneel being an idiot."

E.N.D.'s sharp toothed smile seemed to widen a moment before the blood-red gaze quickly morphed into a familiar honey-gold colour. Slowly, like a mirage, the black and red scales along with the white hair disappeared to reveal the familiar characteristics of the hot headed dragon slayer of his childhood. Gray's hands shook as he stared at the idiot flabbergasted.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FLAME BRAIN?!"

Natsu choked on a laugh and smiled brokenly at the ice mage,

"Isn't it obvious ice princess, I was letting you kill me."

"You," Gray glared at him, "You were what?! Are you a dumbass?!"

The pinkette shook his head tiredly,

"It was the only way Gray and you know it. Killing E.N.D. was your father's final request to you before he died and you wouldn't have been able to do it if you had to fight me as the Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail."

The ice mage had to do everything in his power to stop his mouth from dropping open in shock. Natsu was willing to give his life so that he could fulfill his promise to his father? What the hell is the idiot thinking; even if he is E.N.D. there was absolutely no way Gray would be able to kill him if he wasn't fighting back…no, the only thing he would accept was that Natsu fight him right up until the bitter end; no cop outs allowed.

"And you're right," Natsu looked down at his hand, "E.N.D. is dangerous and it is deadly. One day, it might just break free and kill everyone I ever cared about; that's the last thing I want to happen. In fact, I was going to pull this stunt after my fight with Acnologia was handled so that I could die without regrets."

Another crack erupted across his sword at the statement,

"You…you what?"

The dragon slayer rubbed the back of his neck,

"And I knew that once the demon took over, it would have no qualms about killing you Gray and I didn't want the moment to come where it woke up and you weren't strong enough to defeat it."

"It's my father's magic Natsu," Gray ground out angrily, "He chose it because he knew it was the only thing that could defeat a fire demon like E.N.D."

Natsu shook his head adamantly,

"That's not what I'm saying at all; your father was a great wizard Gray and I have faith that he, and you, would be strong enough to defeat E.N.D., but E.N.D. is _me_. It has my memories, so it would only make sense that it could kill you before you killed it and I can't let that happen…"

The ice mage opened his mouth to argue only for Natsu to shut him up indefinitely,

"I care about you too much and it would destroy me if you were killed by my hand; I had to ensure that you killed me first, before I slaughtered everyone in Fairy Tail."

 _He cares about me?_

"So that's why I'm telling you," Natsu smiled brightly at him and tilted his head to the side, "Kill E.N.D., kill me, before I'm too strong for you to do so."

He was right.

Gray shook his head slightly; he never thought that he'd be saying something like that in regards to Natsu, but given what was about to happen he was willing to accept it. As much as he wanted to argue with Natsu for stomping on his pride like that, he knew he was right. Just moments ago, Natsu was _pretending_ to be E.N.D. and was barely able to keep up. He had to stop Natsu before he lost control; it was the only way.

The ice mage hoisted his sword one more time; the minute cracks glistening in the mid-afternoon sunlight. He watched as Natsu stood just meters in front of him with his hands resting at his sides. The dragon slayer was the epitome of relaxed given what was about to happen to him. Gray closed his eyes and took a deep breath before walking slowly towards Natsu. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears the closer he got to the fire mage.

When he decided on his goal to defeat E.N.D. he never imagined that it would be like this. He never thought that he would be fighting his rival to the death. He never thought that he would have to say goodbye to his rock and his best friend. Just when he thought he got strong enough to protect his family from the threats of death and destruction, the darkness that insisted on following him continued to rear its ugly head…

He was jogging…

He thought that after he defeated E.N.D. he would get bandaged by Wendy, get scolded by Erza, get fussed over by Lucy and smothered by Juvia. He thought that after he defeated E.N.D. he would be able to revisit his parents' grave and tell them about the battle and how he used his father's magic to save Earthland from the menace of the demon he set his existence on defeating. He thought that after he defeated E.N.D. he would sit in the Fairy Tail guild hall with his family and celebrate for a whole week straight…

He was running…

He thought that after he defeated E.N.D. things would go back to normal. Zeref and Acnologia would hopefully be destroyed and the threat of Zeref's demons would no longer plague the world. He thought that after he defeated E.N.D. he could maybe travel with Lyon and get to know him as a brother again. He thought that after he defeated E.N.D. Natsu Dragneel would be standing right there beside him with his annoyingly goofy smile and obnoxious laugh. He thought that after he defeated E.N.D. he and Natsu would go on more missions with Lucy, Erza, Happy, Wendy and Carla as a team…

He swung…

He thought that after he defeated E.N.D. he would finally have a chance to be happy…

 _He cares about you…Natsu Dragneel cares about you, so he couldn't bear to see you die!_

All was silent except for Gray's heavy breathing as he collapsed to his knees in front of his most important person; his rival, his comrade, his best friend, his goal, his everything. Silent tears ran down his cheeks as his bloodied sword disappeared into icy crystals. He clenched his now empty hands into the blades of grass and choked back a sob.

"Ironic, I spend an entire year training myself to become strong enough to defeat E.N.D., while you trained an entire year to become it." He chuckled once more before mumbling, "It's as if I'm destined to kill anyone who has ever been important to me…"

A warm wind brushed through his raven locks as tanned, bleeding arms wrapped around his upper torso and buried his nose into a familiar burning neck. His arms shook as he slowly raised his arms and returned the embrace of the one person who reminded him that running away wasn't the answer to solving his problems. He inhaled the familiar smell of campfire as he allowed himself to relax into the warmth.

"I guess we're similar in that regard," Natsu chuckled jovially though it was somewhat strained, "Fire and Ice, they were never meant to get along."

THE END

 **Here's prompt #2 which was given to me by gratsulover117 :D**

 **So minna, this took a completely different turn from what I expected…and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet XD oh geez so much feels and such an open ending…I hope I did okay gratsulover117, it kind of got away from me so I'm sorry if it isn't what you wanted! And I reminded myself just how much I suck at fight scenes haha, I clearly need help. Not to mention that Natsu was very OOC in this and I might have taken too many creative liberties with E.N.D., sigh…**

 **Waiting on your lovely reviews!**

 **-sktrgrl**

 _ **I would also like to take this moment to thank EternalFlame401, AsDarknessSpreads and AUehara for reviewing the last prompt! :) You guys definitely boosted my confidence and your reviews made me smile! I'm hoping to hear more from you guys!**_


	3. Prompt 3 - Learned His Lesson

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns Fairy Tail!**

 **Warnings: Language, Violence, Shounen-ai/Yaoi, Fluff, Angst, Spoilers for episodes 200/201, Potential OOC-ness**

Even though he tried to hide it, Natsu saw.

Of course he was too busy puking his guts out at the time to actually say anything, but it's the fact that he saw that was important. Natsu was able to count the amount of times he had seen Gray cry on his fingers, so the fact that the ice mage was openly crying in the carriage that was bringing them home after the near apocalyptic events of the Grand Magic Games, something _had_ to be bothering the ice mage…and that something had to be big.

He dizzily stared at his rival's shaking back as he continued to lean out the window staring at something or someone in the distance. He couldn't remember much of what happened up to this very second seeing as he felt so shitty, but he could faintly remember the raven shouting at the driver to stop the carriage. His stomach churned once again, only this time he knew that it wasn't because of the movement of the vehicle.

If there was one thing he hated the most about Gray, it was when he cried. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't against emotions or anything; if anything, he believed that emotions were a good thing. However, as much as emotions were needed he absolutely hated seeing his rival cry; when Gray cried that meant that he was in a great amount of pain…pain so great that he could no longer keep it hidden behind his icy walls.

He watched as the ice mage slowly retreated from the window and slumped back in his seat; his pale hands covering his face from the world. To someone who wasn't paying attention to the ice mage's breakdown only moments before, it would seem as though he was suffering from a headache; he had to guess that's what Erza, Wendy, Carla, Lucy and Happy thought it was or else they would be pestering him about what was wrong with him and once they would start prying, Gray would close up completely and ignore them for the rest of the ride home despite Erza's threats.

Natsu frowned at himself, though he bet it looked more like a grimace than anything; why was he thinking so much about Gray anyways? Sure he didn't like when his rival was hurting, but he usually didn't think so deeply about it. If he wasn't in the carriage, he would probably pick a fight with him in an attempt to take his mind off whatever was bothering him…like rivals would do; he was probably just thinking so strangely because of sick he was.

And once again, there was also the matter of Gray's pride and how he preferred to be viewed by the world. The dragon slayer remembered how the ice mage acted when they were kids; a lot of what Gray did back then was a front…even back then he was too prideful to accept help and caring gestures from the members of the guild. Now that he knew about what Gray went through in the past, it was easier for him to understand why the ice mage was the way he was; but he also didn't try to linger too much on it either.

Gray was Gray and he was an idiot; the story was simple as that.

Natsu's stomach lurched when they passed over another bump in the road causing him to groan obnoxiously. He was faintly aware of Lucy telling (more like yelling at) him not to get sick on her clothes and he was sure Wendy was apologizing to him for not being able to cast Troia on him again. And he was more than positive that Erza was rolling her eyes at him and offering to knock him out, but that didn't bother him too much. Now the fact that there was no one calling him pathetic or cursing at him…

That bothered him immensely.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu smiled brightly as he watched his guild mates mingle with the villagers. His family members were cheering, laughing, singing, dancing, drinking, eating and partying without fear of ridicule or lack of finance. After seven years of pain and suffering, the people they had unintentionally left behind could finally smile again; no one would ever think about looking down on Fairy Tail after all they had accomplished. Fairy Tail was once again the strongest guild in Fiore, everything was right in the world.

But at the same time, it wasn't.

He scowled slightly as he took a swig of his fire whiskey. Although most of the guild was celebrating their victory in the Grand Magic Games, there was one person who wasn't and it pissed him off to no end that he was so bothered about it. Gray was still upset about what he saw from the carriage and he wanted to punch the ice princess for being so moody. Of course, the ice mage did have a tendency to be moody sometimes (that's why they fought so much), but this was just getting ridiculous.

Not even Juvia was able to cheer the ice mage up.

It was obvious from the very moment they returned to Magnolia that whatever Gray saw in the carriage was still bothering him. It seemed as though the ice mage had given up on hiding his emotions all together; though his sadness morphed into anger instead. The dragon slayer was sure that the scowling raven even scared some of the villagers away with the aura that he was giving off. When he saw the water mage scolding the ice mage for scaring the villagers he thought that the issue would be handled and too most people it would seem that it was.

Sure, Gray looked more relaxed and even a small smile was planted on his pale face; but that was _far_ from how he was truly feeling. Instead of letting go of the hurt he was feeling, the ice mage merely covered it up like he always did. Out of the corner of his eye, Natsu noticed that Erza seemed to be looking at Gray with suspicion in her steely gaze; it seemed as though the Queen of the Fairies noticed something was wrong as well. The pinkette also glanced at Wendy and she seemed to be looking at Gray with sadness; if he remembered correctly, the sky dragon slayer was talking to Gray about something when they took that break in the meadow on the way back home. But that was before the ice mage had his little breakdown in the carriage.

Natsu swallowed more of his fire whiskey as he glanced around the loud guild hall. It didn't take him long to realize that the rival he was looking for wasn't there. The pinkette tapped his fingers on his mug for a brief moment before he lifted himself off the bench and started to make his way towards the front doors. He didn't care if the ice block was ready to talk or not, he was going to get the answers he wanted even if he had to beat the shit out of the ice mage to do so.

He was about to push the doors open when a slim hand wrapped around his wrist. At first he thought it was Lucy being her somewhat nosy self, but was surprised to see that it was none other than Juvia; shouldn't she be stalking Gray by now? He raised an eyebrow at the blunette when she didn't let go of his wrist.

"Are," She whispered and dropped his arm, "Are you going to find Gray-sama?"

The pinkette folded his arms across his chest impatiently,

"Yeah, someone needs to beat some sense into the idiot; who better to do it than me?"

The water mage didn't say anything in response and simply continued to stare at him with her wide blue eyes. He shrugged his shoulders and went to leave once more only for Juvia to grab onto the back of his vest. His forehead furrowed at the odd action; since when has she ever tried to touch him? If anything the only contact that she has ever had with him was if she felt that he was threatening her 'precious Gray-sama' in some way. It was always so annoying when she interrupted their spars; Gray could take care of himself just fine damnit.

"Please bring Gray-sama home," She said softly, "Juvia thinks it would be better for him to be with his family; especially after what happened during the battle with the dragons."

"That battle with the dragons?" Natsu repeated incredulously, "What does that have to do with anything?"

Juvia was silent for a brief moment before she sniffled,

"Gray-sama will tell you when he feels like it; just make sure he's alright…"

"Why wouldn't he…"

"Because if he's not," Juvia released the back of his vest and glared at him menacingly, "Juvia will trap you in a Water Lock and leave you there for eternity."

Natsu blinked owlishly at the threat and watched slack-jawed as the water mage turned on her heel and marched back into the hoard of guild members and villagers. He scratched his cheek thoughtfully wondering what the hell her problem was as he finally managed to leave the guild hall. There were a few places Gray would've gone to get away from prying eyes, but Natsu was sure that he knew exactly where the ice bastard was…

Though his sense of smell did help a little.

FTFTFTFT

The dragon slayer couldn't help but smile to himself as he stood upon the grassy ridge that overlooked the riverbank; though the river itself was no longer present…ah, the memories. However, any sense of nostalgia that he may have felt at that moment disappeared when his honey eyed gaze landed on Gray's bare back. It was no surprise that the stripper lost his clothing somewhere along the way; the idiot really had to work on that one day, though he doubted that it would ever change.

He wouldn't be Gray Fullbuster if he didn't strip every chance he got.

Natsu quietly made his way down to the bank as the rays of the full moon shone down on Gray's alabaster skin; it almost gave him an unearthly glow. He suppressed the chill that travelled down his spine and shook his head back and forth; he must have had more fire whiskey than he thought. As he got closer to the ice mage, he noticed that the raven was merely staring at the empty river with his hands tangled in the long grass. Natsu found himself wincing as he noticed how tense Gray's muscles were; it was as if he was waiting to be attacked.

"Oi ice princess," He called loudly, "Why are ya hiding all the way here? Did you finally realize no one wanted to see your ugly mug?"

Smooth Natsu…smooth…

He fought the urge to face palm and continued walking towards his solemn friend; he always did that and it was always worse when he was trying to talk to Gray. For as long as he could remember he hasn't been able to say something to the ice mage without teasing him in some way. It was as if it was innately built into him or something. Of course Gray usually insulted him back, but now was obviously not the time; he could already hear Lucy scolding him for being insensitive.

"Go away Natsu," The ice mage spat without turning towards him, "I don't have the energy to put up with your bullshit today."

The pinkette immediately froze in his footsteps and stared at the raven wide-eyed,

"Did you just call me by my real name?"

Gray scoffed in annoyance,

"You're either an idiot or you've spontaneously gone deaf; seeing as you haven't left me alone yet, I'm betting on a mix of the two."

Natsu bristled and clenched his fists at his sides,

"It's not my fault! You're the one who's acting strangely; calling me by my name instead of a nickname, what the hell's your problem?!"

Although the pinkette couldn't see his rival's face, he was pretty sure Gray rolled his eyes at him. The chirping of the crickets was all that could be heard as the ice mage continued ignoring his presence. Natsu cursed under his breath and walked up to Gray and sat down beside him with his legs folded and his arms crossed over his chest; two could play at this game. If Gray was going to try and ignore him all night, then Natsu would just have to prove to him that he could be just as stubborn as that block head.

Natsu tapped his calloused fingers against his forearms as he waited for Gray to get annoyed with him; it honestly shouldn't take too long. He yawned loudly before shaking his head to wake himself up. The fire whiskey was probably starting to catch up with him, but to hell with that. He was stronger than alcohol and he needed to stay awake so Gray wouldn't run away from him. He forced back another yawn and started to snap his fingers out of boredom; the first snap would cause a flame to dance across his fingertip and the second snap would put it out. Maybe if he did this enough he could keep himself occupied enough that he wouldn't fall asleep.

He continued doing this for a few moments before he felt a familiar fist crash over the top of his head. He shouted loudly and rolled to his feet grasping the top of his head in an attempt to sooth the pain. The pinkette glared at the raven for the unnecessary punch only for his eyes to soften slightly we he noticed how _tired_ his rival was. They were barely there, but Natsu's keen gaze could see the beginning of bags appearing under Gray's deep blue eyes and the ice mage's jaw was so tensed that he was pretty sure he could see vein bulging under his skin.

"I thought I told you to leave me the hell alone flame brain," Gray muttered, "I don't want you here, why don't you understand that?"

Natsu dropped his hand from his head and rolled his eyes,

"Because you're the only one stupid enough to believe that you want to be alone."

The raven's eyes narrowed dangerously,

"What did you say?"

"That you're being stupid," He stated bluntly, "The last thing you want is to be alone Gray, even I can see that."

Silence greeted his statement.

Natsu looked over his rival/best friend and noticed that his gaze had turned towards the empty river once more. He sighed loudly and returned to his previous position beside the ice mage. The dumbass was doing what he always did when he felt that he was being cornered; he would get angry and then he would retreat. He fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose and decided to try a different approach; though it'd most likely cause a brawl than get the ice mage to open up. But at this point of the night, he was willing to do anything and that included attacking Gray where he was the most sensitive.

"So I saw you crying on the carriage today," He told him flatly, "Care to tell me what that was about?"

Gray immediately stiffened,

"I don't know what you're talking about; you were probably the one who was crying because you wanted to barf everywhere."

Natsu rolled his eyes,

"I know what I saw ice block; you were blubbering like a baby for no reason, you're really pathetic you know that?"

The dragon slayer fought back a smirk as he noticed Gray's muscles twitch. It was obvious that the ice mage was trying to stop himself from overreacting; but if there was one thing that Natsu was really good at, it was getting under Gray's skin.

"You're the pathetic one," Gray fired back, "You can't even get onto a freaking carriage without throwing up."

"Oh yeah," Natsu snorted forcefully; god, he was going to regret this, "I would've at least won the first round of the Games for our team."

He fought back a flinch as he saw the flash of pain and self-hatred flash across his rival's face. He didn't know when he started caring about Gray's feelings, but he was practically wounded by the look of betrayal that the raven was shooting at him right now. On that day, Natsu was just as furious as Gray was; his friend had just been torn down and humiliated in front of Earthland. However, he also knew that he had to make Gray talk somehow; even if it meant hurting him.

Natsu didn't even try to fight back as a fist came flying at him again and struck him in the nose. He cursed as his nose throbbed under the impact, but couldn't help but feel victorious simply due to the frost that started to permeate the air around them. He instinctively rose his own internal temperature so that he would better withstand Gray's rage; he knew from experience just how powerful that rage could be.

"Shut up," Gray hissed furiously as he rose to his feet, "I made up for that when I defeated Rufus in the finals."

Natsu rubbed the pain out of his nose,

"But Laxus was the one who got revenge for you from that Pudding head and Raven Tail; they were the ones that truly slighted you and you couldn't even get revenge on your own. You had to rely on someone else's strength."

The dragon slayer found himself freezing as the words left his mouth; it was as if Gray's ice magic had frozen him stiff. His heart thudded guiltily in his chest; he knew then that he took it too far. He had knowingly, and obliviously, shone light on Gray's greatest fear. He watched solemnly as the fight suddenly left the ice mage. Pale fists clutched uselessly at his sides as he glared at the ground; refusing to even meet Natsu's gaze. Natsu opened his mouth to rectify what he had said only for Gray's stoic voice to cut him off.

"Yeah, I tend to do that don't I?"

Natsu clenched his jaw,

"Gray,"

"No," He shook his head adamantly, "No Natsu, you're right; the only reason why I even exist today is because my very existence relies on the strength of others."

The pinkette's mouth snapped shut as the self-loathing reached his sensitive ears; what the hell happened? Sure, Natsu touched a nerve but something about what he just said seemed too _raw_ as if he was speaking about something that happened recently. It reminded him of their mission on Galuna Island when Gray was talking to Lyon about taking responsibility for what happened to Ur; when he was about to seal Lyon using Iced Shell at the cost of his life.

"Did you know that I died during _that_ battle?"

It was as if Natsu's heart stopped beating,

"What, What the hell does that mean?!"

Natsu watched in shock as Gray, with emotionless deep blue eyes, pressed his hand just below his left pectoral…then two places in his abdomen…then over his Fairy Tail emblem…then to his arm…and his legs…and every possible part of his body that he could possibly reach. When Natsu thought he was done with whatever he was doing, the pinkette watched as Gray slowly, but resolutely, touched the center of his forehead.

"Those were the places I was struck," His stated blandly, "When I was attacked by a hoard of dragonlings."

The dragon slayer's eyes widened uncomprehending disbelief; Gray was _killed_ by the dragonlings. There might have been a chance for him to survive if he only received the body shots, but the final shot to the head…Natsu's chest grew tight as he realized just how close he was to losing his best friend that day and didn't even know about it. Suddenly, Natsu's eyebrows furrowed in confusion,

"But Gray, if you died, how the hell are you standing here right now?"

He wasn't complaining or anything; he was relieved that Gray and everyone else survived that battle. He was so busy fighting Future Rogue that he wouldn't have known who would've died until the very end of the battle. His mind subconsciously jumped to the moment, that one minute, where he was able to predict the move Future Rogue was about to do…does that have something to do with all this?

He returned his attention to Gray and the ice mage's hands were shaking at his sides. Natsu frowned at his; he had never, in all the time that he's known the raven, seen the maker mage's hands tremble like they were right now. Something inside Natsu wanted him to walk over to Gray and stop his hands from shaking; they were the tools for his magic, they should be steady and sure…anything other than that signified fear and Natsu didn't like that one bit.

"I'm standing here," He whispered; his voice suddenly choked with suppressed emotion, "Because I rely on the strength of others in order to survive; you're the one who said it Natsu."

Natsu felt the palms of his hands heat up as he got frustrated,

"I didn't mean it dumbass; I was trying to get a rise out of you!"

Gray pressed his fingers to his forehead and barked a laugh,

"But it's the truth! My parents, Ur and now Ultear, the only reason I'm alive is because other people used their strength to make up for _my_ weakness!"

"Ultear?" Natsu repeated in confusion, "What does Ultear have to do with this?"

The ice mage threw his hands to the sky in frustration,

"You're an idiot if you can't figure it out! I was dead one minute and alive the next and I'm willing to bet that there was moment where you were fighting and it felt like you saw the future, yeah?"

Natsu ignored the insult and nodded his head slowly indicating Gray to continue,

"Ultear's magic is the lost magic, the Arc of _Time_ ; she used her magic to send time back so that we could have a better chance at defeating Future Rogue and the dragonlings."

The pinkette frowned at Gray's explanation,

"We don't know if that's what happened; it could've been anything."

Natsu stood still as Gray stormed towards him and grabbed onto his muffler. He was nearly drowning in the raven's sorrow as teary blue eyes met his own. The ice mage shook him slightly as if to shake some sense into him; though all it accomplished was churning his stomach. Natsu pushed at Gray's chest to get him to let go; he couldn't do too much if the world didn't stop spinning.

"When you first got here," Gray stated thickly, "You wanted to know why I was crying in the carriage."

Natsu raised his eyebrow impatiently,

"Well yeah, you're not acting like your pompous self I had to see what the heck was bothering you."

Gray bit his lip and clenched his fists tightly,

"Before leaving the Games, I went to look for Ultear and the others so I could say goodbye to her, but Jellal and Meredy didn't know where she was either, so I left and told them to tell her I said goodbye and hoped to see them around soon.

"On the way back from the Games I was still a little thrown off by the fact that for one whole minute I was dead and I was haunted by the fact that I was still alive. Instead of being happy all I felt was guilt and grief and I didn't know why," Gray released a shaky breath, "At least until I saw an old woman standing on the side of the road."

"Okay?" Natsu narrowed his eyes in confusion, "And what was so important about this little old lady?"

Gray pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed under his breath,

"If you'd shut up and stop interrupting me I could tell you."

The dragon slayer scowled at his rival, but allowed him to continue with his story; even if the ice mage was taking forever to get to his point:

"That old lady, I had no clue who she was or why she was there…but there was something about her that seemed familiar. When I looked at her, my guilt and grief seemed to disappear and I didn't understand why; all she was doing was staring up at the sky, she held no meaning for me…until she _smiled_. She was smiling so freely; without guilt or pain, and somehow, I knew it was Ultear…she had sacrificed herself so that we could get out of that battle alive…

"I tried to stop the carriage, just so I could be sure, but she just shook her head and told me not to. All I could do was cry as she slowly disappeared without a trace. The reason I'm alive is because she sacrificed her time in this world; like mother like daughter I suppose."

As Gray finished his tale, Natsu could see that he was falling apart at the seams and for the first time, he didn't know what he could do. Their relationship was never normal; they didn't comfort each other like typical people did, they usually fought each other until the person hurting felt better. But this time, Natsu knew that it wouldn't be enough. Just from looking at him, the dragon slayer could see that the only thing holding Gray together was his deteriorating pride; even then, it wouldn't be enough.

"Did she know that you died?"

Gray's eyes snapped up from where they rested on the ground and stared at him in disbelief. Natsu was equally a surprised; he sure wasn't planning on saying something like that, but hey, he wasn't a very eloquent person.

"Did she what?" Gray stared at him incredulously.

Natsu folded his arms across his chest,

"Did she know that you died in that minute?"

The raven blinked at him,

"How the hell should I know?! I was dead dumbass!"

"Exactly," He forced out painfully, "You were dead; you don't know what caused her to do what she did. She might have sacrificed herself for everyone's sake, not just to save you."

Gray growled under his breath and pushed Natsu away from him,

"You just don't understand…"

Natsu stood stupefied as the angered ice mage shoved him and turned on his heel. No, there was no way he was going to let Gray run away from this; he wasn't going to let the idiot blame himself for shit that he can't control anymore. In three long strides, Natsu dove at the ice mage and wrapped his arms around the trim waist and brought him sprawling to the ground. He heard Gray curse at him, but he ignored him and kept his weight distributed on Gray's hips.

"What the fuck are you doing fire breath?!" He spat furiously, "Get off of me!"

"No," Natsu scowled, "It's my turn to talk; I'm sick of you being the bane of your own existence!"

The raven glared at the pinkette darkly,

"What do you expect?! I've been alive for eighteen years Natsu and of those eighteen years I should have died three times and didn't; I'm living on borrowed time as it is."

The dragon slayer slapped Gray across the face; turning his pale skin pink,

"Stop talking like that; you're alive for a reason Gray, those people gave their lives for you because they love you! Why do you refuse to see that their deaths weren't your fault; just listen to me you frosty dumbass!"

"What's the point of doing that?!" Gray exploded shoving Natsu off him, "I've already learned my lesson; I've learned the cost of love and the cost for loving me is death. I've accepted that, it's time that everyone does too."

Natsu pushed himself off the ground and dusted himself off. Anger rushed through his veins with each word that Gray said. He stomped over to the ice mage who was just getting to his feet as well and grabbed onto the silver cross necklace that hung around his neck. The action caused the ice mage's eyes to come out from behind his dark hair and Natsu saw the tears that were rushing down his cheeks.

"I've been broken so many times; my parents, Ur…" He swallowed back a sob, "And yet, despite that I tried coming back for more and all its brought me is more emptiness; Ultear is dead and nothing is going to change that."

Gray mirrored Natsu by grabbing his muffler,

"And I won't let that happen to you too…"

Natsu released Gray's necklace and instead grabbed the back of his neck. He tangled his fingers dark strands as he buried the ice mage's face in his shoulder and wrapped his arms around the slightly older mage tightly. He inhaled the raven's wintry scent as cold drops of water started to land on his warm skin. His chest burned from Gray's confession; he knew that the ice mage was afraid of losing his Fairy Tail family, but he never truly understood how much until this moment.

"After all these years," Natsu whispered into Gray's hair as he ran his fingers soothingly through his hair, "You haven't learned a thing."

He felt Gray try to move out of his grip, but Natsu tightened his hold and kept him still:

"You claim you've been broken, you claim that you've learned the cost of love…but even before you lost Ultear, before you knew she was alive, you still found a home with Fairy Tail. You found a home with Gramps, with Mira, Elfman, Lisanna, Cana, Macao, Wakaba, Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Erza, Lucy, Happy, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Levy, and with everyone else in our crazy family…you found a home with _me_.

"So of course, you haven't learned a thing; after all these years, you still haven't realized that we won't leave you here alone…I won't let you be alone, you hear me? After all the times you've called me 'idiot', I thought you'd know that idiots can't die."

Gray's grip tightened on Natsu's muffler slightly,

"You're such a sap."

Natsu smiled goofily and absently pressed a feather-light kiss to the raven's temple,

"Nah, I'm just awesome."

The ice mage scoffed at him, but refused to let him go. Natsu didn't know how long they stayed like that until he felt Gray become dead weight on his shoulder. He leaned back enough so he could get a glimpse of Gray's face. There were still some drying tear tracks on his face, but other than that he was out cold; and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, he seemed peaceful. Natsu smiled softly as he brushed his warm fingers over the ice mage's cheekbones.

He carefully shifted Gray's form so that his head was pillowed on Natsu's shoulder while his arms grabbed his lower back and underneath his legs. The dragon slayer laughed to himself; Gray would probably kill him if he found out that he was being carried bridal style; but he honestly shouldn't be surprised, he was an ice _princess_ after all…

He was Natsu's ice princess and for however long it took, he would save Gray from himself.

THE END

 **Here's prompt #3 donated to me by Crystal. Ice. DS! :)**

 **Like my other two prompts, I let it get away from me again…so I hope you like it Crystal! Don't be afraid to tell me if it blows lol sometimes I need the blunt truth. It's not quite romance, but I guess it's pre-NatRay/GraTsu? Maybe? Haha, either way I hope you're not too disappointed with me! I'm not too sure about the ending with this one, but I can deal! The next prompt will be completed for tomorrow! (This has to be the most consistently I've ever posted lol)!**

 **Waiting on all your reviews! :)**

 **-sktrgrl**

 _ **I also want to send a huge thank you to those who reviewed/favourited/followed this prompt-fest! EternalFlame401, uzukun89, AUehara, and Crystal. Ice. DS for their encouraging comments XD I'm happy you all liked my take of last chapter (especially since I was so worried about it lol)! I hope you guys enjoy this one!**_


	4. Prompt 4 - You'll be in My Heart

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns the magnificent plot and characters of Fairy Tail while Kyo-Ani/Oji-sensei owns our little guest star!**

 **Warnings: Language, Violence, Fluff, minimal Angst, Potential OOC-ness**

"Oji-san?"

Makarov glanced down at the boy who was clutching his hand as they walked through the bustling streets of Magnolia. He smiled fondly at the boy as he noticed the bright curiosity in the boy's emerald green eyes. As he regarded the boy he couldn't help but be thrown back in time; to a time when his grandson Laxus would hold his hand and praise him or even to the time when he found Natsu and brought him to Fairy Tail. He smiled to himself as he realized how much time has passed since then; one thing was for certain, time never rested.

"What is it child?" He tilted his head to the side, "Do you have a question?"

The boy chewed on his lip,

"I…I was just wondering how long Granny was going to have me stay with you? N-Not that I don't want to be here…I just…"

The corner of Makarov's mouth dropped slightly at the boy's question; there wasn't a way he could answer it and if there was one thing his frowned upon it was lying to children. However, this was a case where he didn't have a choice in the matter; it was a request given to him by an old friend. He couldn't say he wasn't expecting the request, especially after he got word of the massacre that occurred on the East shores of Fiore…but he hoped that his friend wouldn't be caught up in the tragedy.

It was a fairly typical day for Fairy Tail (loud, rambunctious, and destructive) when he had gotten a call on his lacrima from his dear friend Tsuchida who told him that their seaside village had been attacked by some sort of demon and that the children were being evacuated so as to keep them safe from the destruction. She had asked him if he would be able to keep an eye on her grandson until the matter was dealt with and there was no way he could say no. Tsuchida had done a lot for him in the past, so it was only right that he return the favour.

However, that wasn't the only reason why he accepted the request…

Tsuchida had also asked him for assistance because both of the young boy's parents were murdered by the monster in front of his eyes and unsurprisingly the boy had not been the same since; apparently he wouldn't even speak to his closest friend in the village anymore. She hoped that sending the boy to Fairy Tail would help him open up once more and Makarov couldn't help but agree with him. His children were special and he knew that once they caught sight of this boy they would probably smother the poor thing with love; he'd just leave the tyke to Mirajane and the other girls, he should be safe in their capable hands.

"Unfortunately, your Granny wasn't clear on the details," Makarov ruffled the boys sandy brown hair, "But I promise everything will be alright; we'll most likely hear from her in the next couple days."

"Okay," The boy squeezed his hand tightly, "I just feel bad because I didn't say goodbye to my bestest friend."

The old man smiled at him softly,

"Don't worry about that child; you'll see your friend again."

The boy didn't say anything more and simply nodded. Makarov forced back a sigh; he really hoped that the girls could help the poor lad come out of his shell a bit. It was heartbreaking seeing him so downtrodden. He was about to offer some more words of encouragement to the boy when his keen eyes noticed a pillar of fire shoot of into the sky in the distance. A shiver rolled down his spine as he glared at the flames; he didn't like the look of this one bit…

His Natsu senses were tingling…and if Natsu was causing destruction, his partner in crime wasn't too far behind.

"Oji-san?" The boy looked at the column of fire with wide eyes, "What is that?"

"Just a couple of brats making a mess of things." He muttered.

He picked up his speed slightly so he could get to the guild hall faster; he really had a bad feeling about this. He held the boy's hand tightly and paused a few times when the little one tripped over his feet; he did have short legs after all and he was young. When Makarov rounded the familiar corner of a cobbled street, the first thing he noticed was the people…the second thing he noticed was that his precious guild hall had a gaping hole in the ceiling…the third thing he noticed was that half of the building was frozen solid…

He forced his way through the crowd; his menacing aura causing all the villagers to move out of his way in fear. He hoped he wasn't scaring the boy too much with his anger, but this was the fourth time this happened this week. He made it to the front doors of the guild and kicked it open with astounding strength; he nearly sent the doors flying off their hinges. Countless eyes turned towards his enraged form, but his eyes were solely on the idiots standing in the middle of the hall; who were still fighting like the oblivious destroyers they were.

"That is enough!"

FTFTFTFT

Gray Fullbuster was having a bad day.

Not only was Magnolia blazing hot today, but the constant annoyance in his life also known as Natsu Dragneel wouldn't leave him alone. As if it wasn't hot enough outside, the dragon slayer thought he would entertain himself by playing with his fire magic indoors. He was such an oblivious asshat; couldn't he see that he was making _some_ people feel like shit. No, of course he couldn't! He was just a flame brained idiot who only thought of himself and not how his presence affected those around him.

So obviously, it didn't take long for the idiot to get in his face and pick a fight with him. He wasn't in any mood to move, let alone fight, but the jerk face pissed him so much that he couldn't resist himself. He hoped that if he was able to knock the fire breath out fast enough, he could enjoy the barely working air conditioning in peace; but surprise, surprise, things didn't go as planned. All the brawl resulted in was a couple cuts and bruises, a hole through the ceiling, a destroyed bar, and a half frozen guild hall; and if that wasn't bad…

"That is enough!"

Gramps came home…they were so screwed.

"Just what the hell are you two idiots doing?" He scolded them, "This is the fourth time this week!"

Gray rolled his eyes,

"Don't look at me, that idiot is the one who started it."

The pinkette growled,

"Who are you calling an idiot, you damn stripper? You're the one who hit me first!"

"It wasn't me who was pissing everyone off was it?!" The ice mage slammed his forehead against his rival's, "If you weren't throwing your damn fire balls around this wouldn't have happened!"

"Oh yeah?!" Natsu spat as pushed against him, " _You're_ the one who's been in a pissy mood all day! Are you PMS-ing or something ice princess?!"

"THAT'S IT!"

The raven and pinkette let out dual sounds of pain as they were smashed into the floorboards by the large palm of their guild master. Gray cursed as his ribs dug painfully into the ground and he glared darkly at the bane of his existence; it was always that bastard's fault that he got into situations like this! When the weight left his back, Gray pushed himself to his knees and sat there; damn Gramps packed a punch. He could hear Natsu complaining from beside him, but he found himself not paying attention.

Instead, he found himself looking at the strange boy hiding behind Gramps. The boy couldn't be older than four and was clutching the back of Gramps' cloak as he scolded the two of them. He had sandy brown hair that hung in slightly droopy emerald green eyes. He didn't know who this kid was, but there was just something about him that seemed so familiar…he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Gray!" Gramps yelled furiously, "Listen to me when I'm disciplining you!"

"Aye sir!" He squeaked nervously; did he seriously just channel Happy?

"And you call me pathetic." Natsu muttered petulantly from beside him.

The raven scowled at him bitterly and opened his mouth to retort only to be silenced by Gramps' murderous glare. Why was he getting in trouble when it was pretty damn obvious that the fire breathing bastard was an instigator?! He folded his arms across his chest and looked away from the old man; it wasn't fair damnit.

"Now listen up you brats," Gramps began; his eyes set in a determined frown, "I'm not letting you get away from destroying the guild this time around, prepare for your punishment!"

Gray gulped; was Gramps really going to do _that_ to them?! He glanced at his rival from the corner of his eye and he could tell that the pinkette was shaking like leaf even though he was trying to hide it. This time he wouldn't tease or insult the dragon slayer for reacting the way he was; after all, _that_ was a fate worse than death or even one of Erza's smack downs.

"You two idiots having been fighting non-stop from the moment you laid eyes on each other," Gramps paced back and forth; being careful of the little body that was hiding behind him, "That's over ten years of near irreparable damage that you caused the guild and over ten years of damage expenses that you've accumulated by destroying the cities that you were supposed to protect!"

The raven scratched the back of his neck nervously as he thought of all the damage that he and Natsu had caused; Gramps' wasn't going to make them use their mission money to pay him back was he?! He needed that money damnit! He had rent to pay and groceries to buy! If Gramps' ended up choosing that as their punishment, Gray might seriously have to kill Natsu this time; not everyone could live off fish and expired food products (where else would he get food). Then again, maybe Lucy would take pity on him and feed him for a few months.

"Uhm, Master?" Mira's soft voice tittered from the front of the mob of Fairy Tail members who were trying to avoid Natsu and Gray's rampage, "Before you get around to deciding Natsu and Gray's punishment, why don't you tell us about the little boy that followed you into the guild hall; is he a new member?"

Thank you Mira! He internally cheered at the distraction; maybe if she got Gramps focused on the little boy, he would forget punishing him and the flame brain! He watched in interest as Gramps' stopped pacing and blinked a few times before turning to the boy who was still trying to huddle behind his tiny frame. From beside him, he could tell that Natsu's interest had been peaked as well; there hadn't been a new member in the guild for seven years and there was nothing the flame brain liked more than meeting new people.

"Oh right," Gramps' face brightened slightly as he pushed the boy into view, "This boy's name is Makoto Tachibana; his grandmother, a dear friend of mine, asked me to watch him for a few days. Make sure to treat him with respect and don't pester him too much; and yes, I mean you Nat…"

The older mage's voice trailed off as his gaze settled on the excited dragon slayer before they slowly trailed over to Gray. The ice mage felt himself gulping again from the strange look; he really didn't like where this could potentially be going. Gramps' smiled at the two of them before he snapped his fingers.

"I just thought of your 'punishment'!"

Natsu's shoulders slumped dramatically as sweat started to pour down his body,

"He's going to put us through _that_ isn't he?!"

Gray sure as hell hoped not,

"Don't give him any ideas flame head!"

Gramps eyed the two boys for a few moments longer before he turned his attention to the surrounding mages. He raised his hand and pointed towards Freed, who was looking annoyed because some of his green hair managed to be singed in the brawl earlier. Oh no, Gray thought fearfully, if Freed was annoyed enough he'd be willing to do anything Gramps asked of him with a smile on his face.

"Freed," Gramps' voice echoed around the anticipating guild hall, "I want you to grab onto Natsu and Gray's wrists right now."

"And why on Earthland would I want to do that?" The runes mage raised an eyebrow.

"It has to do with their punishment; now do it." He ordered.

The raven fought the urge to run as Freed stalked towards him and the idiot. Even if he tried to run, he probably wouldn't get very far; Gramps would take him down without hesitation…he'd rather not have broken ribs thank you very much. Gray tensed as Freed's slim fingers tightened around his wrist and he was faintly aware of Natsu fighting, uselessly mind you, back instead of accepting his inevitable fate.

"Now," Gramps paused for effect, "I want you to bond these two together so that they're unable to leave each other's side for longer than twenty minutes."

Gray blinked at the old man in disbelief as the rest of the guild's voices rose up,

"WHAT?!"

"Uh Gramps," Natsu chuckled tensely, "I don't know if you're aware of this, but Gray and I _despise_ each other; do you want one of us to end up dead?!"

"Master?" Lucy raised her hand shakily, "I have to agree with Natsu on this one, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Aye!" Happy stated cheerfully, "It might even destroy Magnolia in the process; when Erza gets back and sees that she'll be so mad and then there will be even more blood!"

Gramps smirked haughtily,

"I know exactly what I'm doing; I know they'll hate it, it wouldn't be a punishment if they liked it."

The raven had to admit that Gramps was right about that; but he was being cruel. In his mind spending all his time next to Natsu was way worse than _that_ punishment could ever be. And from what he could see of Natsu from out of the corner of his vision, the idiot was on the same train of thought.

"How long do you want me to see the rune for?"

Natsu glared at Freed in devastation,

"You're actually going to go through with this?!"

"For once I agree with the dumbass," Gray paled, "Don't do this to me man; I'm going to lose my mind if I'm stuck with this idiot!"

The pinkette opened his mouth retort only to be caught off by Gramps,

"Two weeks should be enough for now; we could always remove it or extend it depending on extenuating circumstances."

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel chuckled from his position against the wall, "And what 'circumstances' would that be old man?"

Gramps smiled brightly,

"Well, simply keeping you two boneheads together at all times isn't going to be enough to teach you a lesson on responsibility now is it? No, I thought I'd teach you two responsibility by tasking you with a request from me."

"And what would that _task_ be?" Gray demanded impatiently.

"Why, you and Natsu are going to see what it's like to be parents," Gramps' stated seriously, "You two are going to be the guardians of young Makoto here while he stays with us."

Silence was met with Gramps' announcement as the minds of everyone in the guild hall exploded at once. Gray tilted his head to the side in incomprehensible confusion as he waited for the Gramps to tell them that this was all some elaborate joke. His eyes trailed over to Makoto and noticed that he looked just flabbergasted as the rest of them seemed to be; he also seemed a little scared too.

Gray didn't blame him; the flame brain's stupidity was a frightening thing.

"Master," Mira's soothing voice carried over the stupefied group, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

The older mage raised an eyebrow at the takeover mage,

"Do you doubt my decision Mira?"

The platinum blonde girl smiled weakly,

"Well, I'm just not sure if Natsu or Gray have the ability to take care of a child…you know how they are."

The ice mage frowned at the girl; he didn't know how she did it, but she insulted him and the flame asshole while making it look like a compliment. That aside, he couldn't help but agree with her; he didn't like children too much…in fact he tended to frighten them off with his cool exterior. Children didn't like the cold and he didn't blame them, really he couldn't; even if it did hurt sometimes…Natsu on the other hand…

"I resent that," Natsu pouted, "I raised Happy just fine!"

Lucy chuckled nervously and sweatdropped,

"Sorry to break it to you Natsu, but Happy is a cat, not a child."

"Lucy," The Exceed wailed overdramatically, "Don't be mean to me; at least I'm not an eternally hungry demon like you are!"

He found himself ignoring the celestial mage as she yelled at the Exceed for calling her a demon. He was paying attention to Makoto who seemed to stiffen the very moment when Happy called Lucy a demon. Gray furrowed his eyebrows at the boy and tried to figure out what his problem was when Juvia's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"I think Gray-sama will be a great father," She sung, "After all, Gray-sama and Juvia are going to have thirty children together!"

The ice mage nearly tripped over his feet in surprise,

"Oi don't involve me in your crazy fantasies!"

"But Gray-sama," Juvia's lip wobbled, "Juvia is just saying that she thinks you'll be a good father…"

He looked away from the water mage,

"I don't know about that…"

"However," She continued on as he hadn't said anything, "Juvia does not like that Gray-sama is going to be indefinitely tied to Natsu; there is no way that she will stand for it! But he _can_ be tied to…"

"Either way," Gramps talked over her ramblings and placed his hand on Makoto's shoulder, "I'm not budging on this; you're punishment is staying together and taking care of Makoto until he is to return home; is that clear?"

"But Gramps!" Natsu complained, "What about going on missions?!"

Gramps merely shrugged his shoulders,

"You're suspended from missions for the time being; don't worry Natsu you'll survive."

"But…"

Before Gray could voice his concerns, Gramps nodded his head at Freed and a purple glow started to erupt from his wrist; this really couldn't be happening right now. He felt a tingling travel up his arm as the rune attached itself to his body; it felt like an itch that he couldn't scratch. A few brief moments passed and Freed finally released both of their wrists; the runes floating on top of their arms before dissolving into their skin.

He shot another quick glance at Makoto and slowly made his way over to the nervous child. He could still hear Natsu complaining and asking Freed to deactivate the rune; Gray shoved the hurt that he felt towards the idiot's actions to the back of his mind…not that he understood the reason why he was feeling hurt in the first place. When he got about a meter away, Gramps nodded at him before going to talk to the other members of the guild; they were probably going to set up a 'watch' to make sure that he and Natsu were taking care of the kid properly.

Gray knelt in front of Makoto and held out his hand. The green eyed boy stared at him for a moment, as if he was trying read him, before he hesitantly reached out and grasped onto Gray's fingers. Just from that touch alone, the raven could tell that Makoto was going to have a lot of power one day.

"Hello Makoto," He spoke softly, "Sorry about having you dragged into this; it's probably the last thing you want, huh?"

The sandy haired boy smiled weakly,

"Uh, it's okay…you guys are just…strange. I'm only used to Haru-chan and he's really quiet; the others are kinda loud, but not like you guys."

He couldn't help the slight smile from appearing on his face as he listened to the timid boy speak. Gray knew how hard it was going to a new a place and meeting strange people; he had to go through it himself a couple times in the past. He shook the dark thoughts out of his head and released Makoto's hand. The boy looked at his feet for a moment and then raised his eyes again to look at the ice mage.

"Wh-what's," He swallowed thickly, "What's your name?"

"I'm Gray," The ice mage tilted his head towards the dragon slayer, "And that idiot's name is Natsu; don't worry his idiocy isn't contagious."

"He reminds me of a friend back home…" Makoto giggled behind his hand briefly only for another frown to take over his face, "I hope that everyone is alright…"

The raven frowned back at him before rubbing the top of the boy's head comfortingly. Makoto leaned into the touch slightly and relaxed; even if it was only by a little bit. The sandy haired boy suddenly yawned and Gray noticed how tired he was. He smirked at the boy fondly and then cautiously wrapped his arms around the boy waist and lifted him the air. Almost on instinct, Makoto wrapped his small arms around Gray's neck and buried his nose against the ice mage's shoulder.

"You," Another yawn cut off the boy's sentence, "You remind me of Haru-chan…Gray-chan…"

Gray stiffened at nickname and was about to ask Makoto not to call him that when he noticed that the boy had fallen asleep. He walked over to the fire mage, who was still ranting and raving about their predicament, and punched him over the back of the head. Natsu cursed loudly and turned to punch him back only for him to immediately stop and stare in surprise.

"Look the kid is tired and frankly I am too," Gray told him flatly, "So I'm going to take him home; you can come home whenever you feel like it."

He turned on his heel to leave when he Lucy grabbed onto his forearm,

"Uh Gray, I don't think you can do that…"

The ice mage sighed in exasperation,

"And why the hell can't I?"

An abrupt laugh reached his ears forcing him to turn towards Cana who had reclaimed her previous spot on the table with a barrel resting firmly between her legs. He waited impatiently as she finished a swig out of her barrel and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Don't tell me you forgot about the runes on your wrist already stripper," She smiled like a cat, "You and Natsu can't be separate from each other for more than twenty minutes."

"Yeah," He raised an eyebrow, "So what?"

Cana rolled her eyes at his apparent cluelessness; it wasn't his fault damnit, dealing with that flame brain really tired him out. Instead of answering she just started drinking out of her barrel once more. He cursed at her for leading him on, when it suddenly clicked. He and Natsu couldn't be separated for more than twenty minutes. Although his home was less than twenty minutes from the guild, it still meant that Natsu would have to go home with him _now_ ; who knew what the runes would do if they were separated for longer than the time limit…and there was something else…something terrifying…

"You mean I have to share a _bed_ with this flame thrower?!"

FTFTFTFT

Gray scowled at the road in front of him the entire way home. He was aware of Natsu's constant presence near his side and it really bothered him. Even though the sun had started to go down now and the intense heat of the day was starting to recede, he still had the human heater known as Natsu Dragneel walking precariously close to his personal bubble. Gray adjusted Makoto in his arms as he thought of the inferno that was going to be his bed for the next couple weeks; he wasn't going to survive damnit.

"Oi ice princess…"

He glared at the flame brain in order to shut him up,

"Keep your mouth shut until we reach my house; we can talk there."

Natsu bristled slightly,

"Who said that we were staying at _your_ place?!"

"My two beds and visible floor, that's who!" Gray fired back.

He heard Natsu cursing at him under his breath, but he simply ignored him. Living with Natsu was going to be a constant headache; Gramps was sure cruel when it came to handing out punishments that's for sure. Gray felt his shoulders sag in relief when his apartment building loomed over them; finally, he could go to sleep. He found himself shifting Makoto in his arms once more so that he'd be able to grab his apartment keys from out of his pockets.

"Uh," Natsu's hands shifted restlessly at his side, "Do you want me to hold him for you?"

Gray shook his head,

"Nah, I got it."

And he did…he just struggled a little is all. He shoved his key into the lock and opened the door; not for the first time since he bought this place, he was happy that he was on the first floor. He walked through the silent halls with Natsu walking quietly on his heels. When he finally reached his actual door, he flicked the key chain he had in hands so he could have access to the key that opened his door. Once again, he slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open with his hip.

He held the door long enough for the flame brain to put pressure on it so that it wouldn't close on him. He walked through the door without looking back as he toed his shoes off on the matt near the door; at least he wore his sandals today instead of his combat boots, those would've been a pain in the ass to take off. Completely ignoring Natsu's presence, Gray made his way through his apartment and walked into the guest room.

He smiled in relief when he saw that the bed was still made from when Lyon decided to visit him a few months ago. He wandered over to the bed and pulled the covers back enough so that he would be able to slide Makoto comfortably beneath the covers. He gently tugged on the arms that loosely encircled his neck and laid them down next to the boy's sides as the boy snuggled into the pillow that now rest beneath his head. He pulled the covers up so that they almost covered the boys chin. Subconsciously, Gray reached out his hand and ran his fingers through Makoto's hair like his own father used to do for him when he was a child.

When he noticed what he was doing, Gray retracted his hand and shook his head back and forth; he had no place doing something like that. He glanced at Makoto once more to make sure that he was still asleep before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him. He walked down the hallway and back towards the kitchen to see that Natsu was still staring stupefied at his kitchen and adjoined living room.

"I told you that my floor was visible." Gray crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter, "You didn't believe me fire breath?"

"No," Natsu shook his head, "I just realized that I've never been to your place before."

The ice mage rolled his eyes,

"Well we weren't getting along at all before recently and now if we all hang out we usually go to Lucy's." Not that they were ever technically _invited_ over; but she didn't mind.

The pinkette seemed to consider that for a moment, but didn't respond to the matter. Gray's eyebrows furrowed at Natsu's strange behaviour, but just shoved it to the back of his mind; Natsu was a strange person after all. He looked at the dragon slayer for a brief moment before sighing.

"Okay, so we have to establish some ground rules."

Natsu snorted,

"Obviously ice block; our predicament isn't all that desirable."

Gray felt his heart twinge at the insult, but he summed it up to the fact that he was tired. He and Natsu fought all the time, why would it matter if Natsu was insulting him. The raven ran an exhausted hand through his hair before composing himself.

"You can use whatever you want here as long as you replenish it, no playing with my thermostat and when we're sharing a bed you stick to your side; if I find you anywhere near me I'll kick your ass." He threatened menacingly, "Also, you're going to help me take care of Makoto; no running off to leave me to do it by myself, got it?"

"Sounds good, but you'll have to come with me tomorrow to my place so I can grab a few things; my house is too far away from yours for me to be able to go alone." Natsu nodded in agreement and looked at Gray seriously, "And of course I'll help out with the kid; it's part of my punishment too after all."

The raven supposed that there were two good things about Natsu; no matter how much he hated the guy, he was loyal to a fault and his honour was unsurmountable. Once the dragon slayer knew he was at fault for something or in trouble he would see the punishment through to the end; even if he did complain the entire time. He nodded his head to acknowledge Natsu's request and yawned loudly.

"Well, I'm going to bed; remember to stay to your side flame brain."

"Tch," Natsu rolled his eyes as he followed his rival to the bedroom, "As if that's going to be a problem."

FTFTFTFT

Makarov sat behind his desk in the Fairy Tail Guild and looked into the lacrima as he waited for Tsuchida to answer. He tapped his boney fingers on his desk as he thought about the outcome of that day's events. He might have gone a little overboard with Natsu and Gray, but something needed to be done about those two. Up until recently the two of them seemed to be getting along a little better, but sometime this past week they had suddenly reverted back to how they were before Lucy Heartfilia joined the guild; it was quite troubling to be honest. Not that the boneheads didn't fight at all even before this past week; but they hadn't destroyed the guild until now.

"Makarov?" Tsuchida's voice crackled through the lacrima, "Is my Mako-chan doing alright? Is he hurt?"

The Master of Fairy Tail shook his head adamantly,

"Don't worry about a thing Chida; Makoto is doing fine, I thought it would be pertinent that you know of his current situation here in Magnolia is all."

Tsuchida frowned at him in suspicion,

"And what situation would that be?"

"I placed him in the care of two of my mages," He explained, "They needed a lesson in responsibility and felt that Makoto would be perfect for teaching them that."

The grey haired woman stared at him blandly,

"You're using my grandson as a punishment? Are you insane Makarov? Mako-chan isn't in a strong enough mental state right now…"

Under normal circumstances, he would probably agree with her; especially with how unpredictable Natsu and Gray were…however, he knew that those boys could be the key to helping Makoto overcome his grief and smile again. After all, that was what the Fairy Tail Guild did; well, it was its secondary job. Fairy Tail helped those in pain smile again and he's been around long enough to see it work its magic.

"I understand your concern Chida," Makarov acquiesced, "But I feel that the mages I placed him with will help him through his trauma. One of them has suffered the same kind of loss as Makoto and the other is a constant light that instills hope in all those he meets; I have faith that my children will be able to help yours."

Tsuchida was silent for a moment; her green eyes looking at him calculatingly,

"I believe what you say, but I do not want Mako-chan to get too attached to them; if the demon is defeated, he'll need to return home. He's going to be one of the six pillars that will protect our village when he's older…not to mention that Haru-chan, Rin-chan, Rei-chan, Nagisa-chan, Sou-chan, Momo-chan and Ai-chan would be devastated if their friend didn't return home when they did."

Makarov couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face when he heard that. It was obvious that Makoto had some very important friends back in Iwatobi Village and it was because of those friends that he would be able to let go of Natsu and Gray when the time came. He told Chida as such which seemed to soothe her fears. He wished her luck with the monster they had to defeat before signing off. He folded his hands on his desk and looked up at the wooden ceiling thoughtfully.

In his opinion the only people he had to worry about getting too attached were Natsu and Gray. The dragon slayer and ice mage knew what it was like to lose people that they cared about and if they became too attached to Makoto before he had to leave, it might just tear another irreparable hole in their hearts.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu found himself waking up in a haze.

He rubbed his eyes exhaustedly as he stared up at the unrecognizable ceiling above him. He frowned at it as he tried to remember where he was when he recalled the events that transpired the day before. Only Gramps would think of punishing him and Gray by making them stay together at all times for indefinite period. He scowled at the Gramps in his head for putting him through his torture. He rolled on his side so that he could get out of bed and use the bathroom when he realized that he couldn't move very well.

He frowned at his strange predicament and turned his head to see the source of his problem. Gray had managed to break his own rule in the middle of the night. The ice mage's head was pillowed on his chest; his raven hair tickling the underside of his chin in a strangely comforting way. One of the Gray's arms was sprawled over Natsu's waist and one of his legs was tangled with the dragon slayers. Natsu couldn't help but laugh at the situation; after all the missions he's went on and all the times they shared a room, he never pegged Gray to be a cuddler.

He found himself smiling at the ice mage before he could even stop it. He subtly shook his head to knock some sense into himself; what the hell was he thinking about this morning? Without nudging Gray, because the last thing he needed was to wake the bastard up, Natsu slid out of the bed and stumbled his way to the bathroom. He shoved the door open soundlessly and started to handle his business. He thought of the situation that he and Gray were in now with the kid and he couldn't help but think it was a bad idea.

As much as he defended himself for being capable of taking care of a kid the other day, now he wasn't so sure. He sighed at his thoughts and scowled; he really hated having to think like this. Why couldn't Gramps have come home earlier? Things were going great that day; the sun was out and it was warm, he was with his family and everyone was happy…well, everyone _except_ for Gray. Why did the ice princess have to be so damn moody all the time; it pissed him off to no end, that's why he picked fights with him…though, they have seemed worse recently.

Natsu pulled up his pants and flushed the toilet…nah, he and Gray fought all the time and that wasn't going to change. Nothing was different from yesterday than any other day when he and the ice mage got into an argument. The pinkette scoffed under his breath; it's not his fault that Gray was oversensitive and got too annoyed easily. Natsu wandered out of the bathroom and was about to wander back to the bedroom so he could kick Gray's lazy ass out of bed (stupid twenty minute rule) when something ran into him at thigh level. The dragon slayer glanced down to see the kid standing in front of him and rubbing his nose.

"I…I'm sorry," The boy yawned loudly; ah, what was his name again, "I wasn't watching where I was going…do…do you know where the bathroom is?"

Natsu blinked at the boy's innocent question as he pointed behind him,

"It's, uh, right here."

"Thank you!" The green eyed child smiled brightly, "Do…do you know where Gray-chan is?"

He looked at the boy dumbfounded,

"Gr-Gray-chan?"

The boy nodded patiently as he waited for the dragon slayer to reply,

"Uh, he's still in bed…I was going to get him up now, actually. Do you want something?"

"Ah," The boy's cheeks turned slightly red, "I just wanted to ask him something is all…"

"Okay," Natsu rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "I'll tell him that you're looking for him."

The boy nodded at him once more before running around him and towards the bathroom. Natsu continued to stare blankly ahead of him as the boy's nickname for the ice bastard echoed in his head. _Gray-chan? GRAY-CHAN?_ How in the hell was the boy still living if he was going around calling Gray something like that; this was based solely on the fact on how annoyed the ice mage sometimes got when Juvia incessantly called him 'Gray-sama'.

With widened eyes, Natsu made his way back towards Gray's bedroom; the boy's voice calling Gray that nickname echoing throughout his mind. When he entered to room again, he noticed that Gray was practically swallowed up by his blankets; all that was visible was a shock of raven hair that could be seen near the pillow. The dragon slayer smiled mischievously as he tiptoed into the room and grabbed onto the only accessible corner of Gray's blanket. With an almighty tug, he pulled on the blanket causing Gray to unwrap like a poorly wrapped burrito and land ungracefully to the floor.

"NATSU!" The raven roared furiously; his sleepy deep blue eyes attempting glare at him, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

The pinkette smirked,

"You couldn't even if you wanted to 'Gray-chan'."

Gray, who was in the middle of getting to his feet, paused in his movements and glared at the fire mage darkly:

"Don't you dare call me that."

Natsu raised an eyebrow,

"But that's what the kid calls you; why is that anyway?"

The ice mage stood upright and ignored the dragon slayer in favour of remaking his bed after Natsu had ruined it. Natsu tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Gray to answer him. The raven huffed through his nose before finally glaring at him.

"First of all, the 'kid' has a name which is Makoto and second of all, he calls me that because I apparently remind him of someone important to him and I don't want to take that away."

Natsu frowned at the fact that Gray was defending the kid so easily; the pinkette has known him for years and it took the ice princess up until Galuna Island to start opening up to him like that. Yet somehow, some kid that the both of them just met was important enough for Gray to 'protect' him at the drop of a hat; how unfair was that?

"Anyways," Natsu ignored Gray's explanation, " _Makoto_ was looking for you this morning."

The ice mage's eyebrow furrowed,

"Did he tell you why?"

"No," Natsu shrugged his shoulders as the raven walked across the room to his dresser, "He seemed kind of agitated though."

"He's in a new place with complete strangers," Gray muttered as he pulled a shirt out, "That's to be expected; now go check on him and see if he needs something, I need to get ready."

The dragon slayer rolled his eyes,

"I don't even know why you bother, you're just going to strip out of your clothing like the exhibitionist you are anyway."

"Just shut the hell up and check on him." Gray ordered tersely.

Natsu simply shot him a mock salute before he migrated through the house in an effort to find the boy they were supposed to be watching over. He sniffed the air experimentally and felt a rush of winter pine and mint rush into his nose. His nose crinkled from the slight burn that it caused, but he couldn't help but relax when he smelt it. As much as he hated the ice mage, he had to admit that he liked the way that he smelled; though he'd deny it for the rest of eternity because that was just stalker-ish and creepy. However, in the midst of all the winter smells he managed to latch onto the faint smell of sweet grass and dirt; it was weird smelling such a summery scent at Gray's house, even if he had never been there before.

He followed the scent to the kitchen and adjoined living room where he saw Makoto (that was his name right?) sitting on the couch with his legs pulled up to his chest. His small chin was resting on his knee caps and his green eyes were staring blankly ahead. Natsu tilted his head to the side as he noticed the look of grief and sadness in his green orbs; for some reason Makoto reminded him of someone he knew.

"Oi Makoto," Natsu called over to the boy, "What's wrong?"

The sandy brown haired boy jumped at the sound of his voice and nearly toppled off the chair,

"N-Natsu-san, you scared me!"

The dragon slayer fought back a scowl; so Gray had a nickname, but he didn't…that wasn't fair at all. Natsu cracked his knuckles to relieve the tension that appeared in his body and he tried to smile his go-lucky smile at the boy.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were alright; Gray should be out in a few minutes."

"Oh," He relaxed, "Okay, thank you."

Natsu chewed on his cheek as he contemplated the presence of the boy in front of him. From his base instincts, he could tell Makoto was a good kid, but he couldn't help but be annoyed by him for some reason. Maybe it was because he was so nervous all the time and didn't seem like someone who would go out of their way to make his thoughts heard; the polar opposite of Natsu himself. The dragon slayer frowned to himself; perhaps something happened to the kid before he go to Magnolia.

"Listen," Natsu addressed Makoto, "Would you like something to eat?"

The sandy haired boy looked at him blankly for a moment before nodding his head. Natsu smiled at the boy and held out his hand for him to hold only for Makoto to run straight passed him. His forehead furrowed in confusion when he heard a very familiar voice saying good morning. He turned around to see that Gray had entered the kitchen and Makoto had run over to him and jumped into his arms, but the strangest thing of all was that Gray was _smiling_. He was genuinely smiling; something that Natsu had only seen a handful of times since meeting the ice mage and yet that brat could make him do it so easily.

What the hell was that about?!

FTFTFTFT

Gray watched Makoto as he sat at the counter and ate his breakfast. It wasn't anything extravagant, just peanut butter toast, but he was eating it like he was eating a lobster or something. As the boy was filling his stomach, Gray's eyes couldn't help but wander over to Natsu who was sitting in his living room with a brooding expression that could rival his own on his best days. What the hell was the fire mage's problem? He was expecting the dragon slayer to be all over Makoto and asking him so many questions that the boy wouldn't even be able to keep up.

"Oi flame head," He called over to his rival to get his attention, "When do you want to head over to your place to get your things?"

Natsu continued to stare ahead of himself apparently in deep thought; now wasn't that odd. Gray rolled his eyes and ruffled Makoto's hair before heading over to the scowling fire mage. He stood in front of the other teen with his hands firmly on his hips and waited for the asshole to notice him. Gray huffed through his nose before raising his hand and striking the idiot over the top of his head.

"Ow!" Natsu shouted as he jumped to his feet, "What the hell was that for ice prick?!"

"That was for ignoring me and this," He flicked Natsu's forehead, "Is for cursing in front of Makoto; he's too young to be hearing that crap coming from your mouth."

Natsu pouted and rubbed his forehead,

"Coming from someone with a potty mouth as bad as mine, I find that extremely laughable; now what do you want?"

Gray looked to the side in annoyance,

"I asked you when you would like to go to your place; I just realized that Makoto didn't have any clothes with him when we brought him over, we need to either buy him some or ask Gramps if he has his things."

"We can go whenever you want," Natsu folded his arms over his chest, "But do we have to take the kid?"

Gray's mouth nearly dropped open at his statement,

"We're not going to leave him here flame brain; we're supposed to be taking care of him, remember?"

He observed as Natsu scowled in Makoto's direction; the boy still obliviously eating his breakfast. What did the idiot have against the kid anyway? He watched as Natsu fidgeted with his muffler before jumping to his feet with his usual enthusiasm; though, Gray could tell that it was more exaggerated than normal. Natsu cracked his hands and stretched his muscles before smacking his cheeks; it was as if the dragon slayer was gearing up for a fight.

"Yosh," Natsu clapped his hands, "We can go once Makoto finishes eating and then we can figure the day out from there."

Gray raised an eyebrow at the dragon slayer before simply shrugging his shoulders; Natsu would be Natsu he supposed. As the pinkette went towards the bedroom once more, Gray wandered over to Makoto who was finishing up his milk; he had to remember to go grocery shopping later. When the boy put the milk down, his fingers flitted across the counter mindlessly; though he seemed a little troubled.

"Makoto," Gray placed his hand on his small shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"Ah," Makoto fidgeted with his shirt, "Gray-chan, does Natsu-san not like me very much?"

"Nah," Gray poked lightly at the child's ribs, "Fire breath is just being strange this morning; he probably doesn't mean anything by it."

"Okay," The green eyed boy looked down at his feet, "I just don't want to make Natsu-san sad; is he sad Gray-chan?"

The ice mage smiled at the boy fondly as he ruffled his hair once more. He lifted Makoto off his seat and placed him on the ground causing him to immediately latch onto Gray's pant leg. Gray couldn't help but think back to all the times he did that to his father and mother when he was younger; it was always a sense of security. Did that mean that Makoto felt secure with him? Judging by the fact that Makoto said he reminded him of one of his important friends back home, he was willing to bet that the kid did.

"Don't worry about him Makoto," He patted his head soothingly, "I'll talk to the idiot later, alright?"

"Okay." Makoto whispered softly.

When Natsu had finally come out of the bedroom, the three of them walked over to the entrance way and started to put their shoes on. Gray found himself looking at the dragon slayer from the corner of his eye and he noticed right away that he still seemed agitated. He didn't think Makoto could have actually done something to upset Natsu; the boy was too kind hearted for that…maybe there was just some sort of misunderstanding.

"Alright then!" Natsu called out cheerfully, "Let's go!"

Too bad that Gray could tell that Natsu wasn't feeling cheerful.

Gray grabbed Makoto's hand and followed the dragon slayer out of his apartment; he could feel deep in his bones that today was going to be a long day.

"Uh, Gray-chan," Makoto looked up at him curiously, "Where'd your shirt go?"

FTFTFTFT

After Natsu grabbed a few things from his house and after they visited the guild to see Gramps about Makoto's belongings, the dragon slayer might have hoped that Gramps would have decided to call off their punishment and take Makoto into his care. The pinkette sat on the outcropping that over looked the river bank, _his and Gray's spot_ , and watched as Gray and Makoto played next to the now non-existent river. He couldn't help but feel angry at the fact that the ice mage had brought Makoto to their special spot; it was place that was only meant for them.

He scowled as he watched Makoto run across the grass and tackle Gray playfully causing the ice mage's laugh to echo throughout the fairly silent area. How was it that this brat was able to make Gray so happy, when whatever Natsu did made the ice princess so angry. Makoto had only known Gray for a span of one day and yet, he seemed closer to the ice mage than he could ever be.

Before this past week, Natsu would say that he and Gray had been fairly close; the closest they've been in a long time. But then the stupid ice princess had to go and ruin it. Not that Gray wasn't allowed to hang out with other people, that wasn't the problem at all, the problem was that Gray would forget about everyone else in favour of the one person he was hanging out with and it pissed him off; it even got to the point where Gray was bailing on missions to hang out with this person.

This person was none other than Lyon Bastia of Lamia Scale.

Ever since they came back from Tenrou Island, Lyon had been hanging around Fairy Tail more often. And he would be lying if he said that some small part of him still hated Lyon for what he did to Gray on Galuna Island; Gray almost died because of his pompous ass. Now the ice head thought it was okay to take Gray away from Fairy Tail and away from Team Natsu whenever he wanted; yeah right. Natsu also couldn't help but be mad at Gray for going along with him either; the ice mage had other obligations after all.

After Lyon had finally left from his last visit, Natsu thought that Gray would go back to normal and they could start going on missions together again; only to realize that the ice bastard was planning to go visit Lyon at Lamia Scale sometime in the near future. And now there was the matter of Makoto; the boy that they were supposed to be taking care of.

"Hey Natsu!"

The pinkette was pulled out of his thoughts by Lucy and Happy coming towards him. He tried to smile at them, but he was sure that they could tell that it was forced. He waited for the two to sit beside him and then shifted his gaze to look over Gray and Makoto as they lay on their backs and looked up at the sky.

"Natsu?" Happy's voice chirped in his ear, "Why aren't you playing with Gray and Makoto; they look like their having fun."

He scowled and crossed his arms,

"Then why don't you go play with them?"

"OKAY!" Happy cheered without hesitation as he flew down to the others; the brat was even stealing the Exceed away from him, that's perfect.

Natsu watched as Happy landed on top of Gray's head and stared down at Makoto who was looking up at him in awe. With his sharp hearing he knew that the boy was asking Happy if he could pet him and maybe tell him how he was able to fly like that. He tuned them out and returned to his brooding; this was really bothering him, Natsu Dragneel didn't brood! That was Gray's job not his!

"So," Lucy began hesitantly from beside him, "Are you going to tell me why you're glaring at Makoto like he destroyed Fairy Tail?"

"Maybe that's because he did," Natsu buried his face in his muffler, "I don't like change and he's changing everything."

The celestial mage went silent and stared at the other three next to the river. When he thought that she wasn't going to say anymore, she sighed and leaned against Natsu's shoulder. Lucy smiled softly,

"You know, I never thought that Gray would be so good with kids."

Natsu scoffed under his breath,

"Yeah, that's double for me."

Lucy twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers,

"I've never seen him smile so much either; it's definitely strange to see him being so happy, no matter how macabre that sounds."

The pinkette sighed through his nose and finally glanced at his friend,

"What are you trying to get at Lucy?"

"I'm just saying that you should be happy that Gray's happy," The blonde smiled brightly, "And stop being so jealous of a kid it's almost painful to watch."

Natsu flinched at her accusation, but couldn't find the ability to refute it. As he watched Gray, Happy and Makoto playing again he realized that was exactly his problem. And he wasn't only jealous of Makoto, he was probably jealous of Lyon too. Since when did he care about what Gray did with his time anyway? When did he start getting jealous of other people having Gray's attention? His shoulders slumped as he noticed the reason why the guild hall has been nearly destroyed for the past four days; he was trying to get Gray to pay attention to him.

"Shit," Natsu clenched his fists, "What the hell is wrong with me?"

Lucy giggled causing him to look at her again,

"You care about Gray that's all; it's nothing to be afraid of, especially since I know that he feels the same way about you too."

"That's a laugh," Natsu snorted, "As if the ice princess would feel anything for me other than hate; that's just the way we are."

"I don't know," Lucy sung teasingly as she winked, "You guys have always 'had a special bond'."

He fought back the urge to tell her not make his relationship with Gray sound dirty when he realized that she was saying what Happy said to him on Tenrou Island when they were trying to figure out how Gray was doing in the battle. He thought back to that day and he realized that even then he had felt something for Gray; it wasn't quite like what he was feeling now, but it was _something_.

"But," Natsu stared at her incredulously, "What am I supposed to do about this?"

Lucy looked at him thoughtfully for a moment,

"How about you try being yourself; that always helps."

FTFTFTFT

Natsu found himself staring up at the ceiling as he lay in bed that night.

After the exhausting day, Gray had managed to pass out long before him and he was pleasantly surprised to find that the ice mage had once again migrated from his side of the bed and resumed the position he was in the night before. Natsu had to resist the urge to run his fingers through the raven hair that tickled the underside of his chin; if Gray woke up to him doing something like that, things probably wouldn't end very well.

His mind couldn't stop thinking about the revelation he made that day with Lucy. He never thought about it, but he really did like Gray; like more than he probably should. If it was any other person, he would tell them about it right away because that was the type of person he was; he never did anything half-assed. But with Gray, everything was tossed out the window. The ice mage being male wasn't the problem of course; the problem was that he didn't know if Gray felt anything for him other than hate. Then there was the fact that he'd been a bit of an ass since Makoto had come into their lives.

God, he felt like a horrible human being.

He closed his eyes in an attempt to get him to fall asleep when his ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming from down the hallway. He turned his head towards the barely opened door and tilted his head slightly when he noticed that it was Makoto. The sandy haired boy was clasping onto the doorframe and he could tell from where he was lying that Makoto was quivering.

"Makoto," Natsu whispered out to him, "Are you okay?"

The green eyed boy swallowed,

"I'm sorry to bother you Natsu-san…but…I had a bad dream."

Natsu frowned at the boy in sympathy; nightmares weren't fun. He used to get them a lot after Igneel left him. He carefully, not like him at all, shifted Gray off of him and laid the ice mage's head on the pillow. He held his hand out to the boy and motioned for him to come over; even though he probably couldn't see it in the darkness of the room.

"Come here; we can talk about it if you want or we can just lie here…"

He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when the sound of Makoto running across the room reached his ears. The bed dipped a little, barely at all, under the boy's weight and Natsu felt Makoto crawl up to him so that he was lying in between the Natsu and the slumbering ice mage. Natsu lay back down and positioned himself on his side so that he could look into Makoto's face if the boy wanted to talk to him.

"Is…is Gray-chan still asleep?" Makoto whispered.

"Yup," Natsu smiled through his voice, "Once he's asleep, he can sleep through practically anything; so you don't have to worry about waking him up."

"Okay," Makoto nodded his head in relief, "That's good, I don't want to make Gray-chan sad."

"You don't have to worry about that," Natsu tapped his nose, "You make Gray-chan very happy and that makes me very happy."

Makoto seemed to relax,

"Really? That makes me really glad."

Natsu smiled at the boy's happiness and innocence and he couldn't help but hate himself a little for the way that he treated Makoto. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Makoto's body press against his own; his head pressed up against his chest like Gray's was only moments ago.

"You're so warm Natsu-san," He whispered, "And Gray-chan is so cold; I can see why Gray-chan likes sleeping beside you Natsu-san; it feels so nice."

The dragon slayer stored that comment into the back of his mind for later and pulled the boy closer to him. He felt Gray shift from the other side of Makoto and was faintly aware of the ice mage embracing the boy in his sleep. Natsu himself started to feel sleep latching onto him when he felt Makoto's hand grip onto the front of his shirt.

"Natsu-san," He sniffled suddenly, "Have you ever seen a monster before?"

The pinkette found his eyes snapping open at the frightened question,

"I've seen a few…why are you asking?"

Makoto was silent for a few moments; so silent that Natsu thought that he had fallen asleep despite his question, when the boy's soft voice reached his ears once more.

"A monster showed up at my home and my mama and papa are gone now," He buried his nose against Natsu chest, "That's what Granny says and I had to say goodbye to Haru-chan and the others; I don't want to be alone Natsu-san."

And that's when Natsu understood.

The morning before when he thought that Makoto reminded him of someone he knew; the green eyed boy reminded him of Gray when he had told them about what happened to his parents and his teacher; Makoto had felt the exact same pain that Gray had. He felt the ice mage shift from the other side of the bed once more and that's when he realized that Gray had actually been awake the entire time.

"Sh," Natsu hushed Makoto, "You don't need to worry about that; your friends and Granny are going to be alright."

"But," Makoto whimpered into his chest, "I'm scared."

"It's okay to be scared," He whispered, "It's only through fear that you're able to grow stronger and if you feel like you can't do it on your own, Gray-chan, me and the rest of Fairy Tail will be able to help you out."

The sandy haired boy sniffled in his chest once more before nodding his head. He was aware of Gray looking at him from over Makoto's head so he looked at the tired ice mage and gave him a tired smile. Despite his better judgement, he reached out for Gray and placed his hand on one of the ice mage's. He was sure that Gray was going to pull away and curse at him, but instead of that, the ice princess clasped his hand even tighter around Natsu's and held it close to his chest as he started to nod off to sleep. Natsu couldn't fight off his bright smile as he sandwiched Makoto's body in between his and Gray's, his hand holding onto Gray's tightly, as he drifted off to sleep.

FTFTFTFT

Two weeks had passed since Natsu and Gray had started their punishment.

And even Makarov had to admit that this wasn't the outcome that he had expected. Not only were Natsu and Gray getting along, for the most part, both of the boys had accepted Makoto as if he was their own. In fact, he had noticed some strange interaction between the two mages as they watched over the boy they were tasked with. First he noticed that Natsu was much more affectionate towards the ice mage. There were moments were Natsu would simply rest his hand on Gray's hip or brush his fingers across his Gray's arm, while the raven haired teen would actually allow him to do so.

He couldn't help but wonder if something like this had been hidden under this surface the entire time.

Then, there was the matter of Makoto himself. Since arriving at Fairy Tail, the boy had always been shy and a little distant. However, he was surprised to see that the tyke had latched onto Gray pretty quickly. During one of his conversations with the ice mage, Gray had said that he apparently reminded the boy of a friend of his back home. He had to say that he was initially worried about Natsu and the way he reacted to the boy's presence. Natsu was actually fairly distant, which was odd for the dragon slayer, but luckily that only lasted for the first day.

Makarov would go as far as to say that they acted as if they were a family; a dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless. But sadly, the day that he found himself dreading had finally come. He looked up at Tsuchida as she stood in front of the guild doors; a wistful expression on her face. He knew that she was ready to bring her grandchild home, but the question was, were Natsu and Gray ready to let him go?

"Makarov," Tsuchida smiled down at him, "I really do appreciate you for taking Mako-chan in like you did."

The Master of Fairy Tail inclined his head,

"I'd like to say the pleasure was mine, but you'd probably have to say that to Natsu and Gray; they were the ones to watch over him for the past couple weeks."

"Then I shall thank them," She looked towards the guild once more, "I'd say it's time that I collect my grandson; Haru-chan and the others miss him greatly, even if Haru-chan can't exactly put it into words."

Makarov nodded in understanding and pushed the doors open. The guild was still as loud as always; but at least there were no flying tables today. As he entered Fairy Tail with Tsuchida on his heels, the guild immediately silenced. All his children's eyes were on the strange woman who had entered their domain. In fact, the silence was somewhat tense until an excited voice echoed throughout the silent guild hall.

"Granny!" Makoto cheered as he ran towards his grandmother, "You're here!"

Tsuchida smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around him,

"Hello Mako-chan, I missed you so much; how are you doing today?"

The green eyed boy smiled back,

"Good, Natsu-san and Gray-chan are going to take me to play at the park today!"

Makarov found himself smiling at the boy's excited chatter, but as he looked over at Natsu and Gray, his heart couldn't help but throb a little. Gray was half standing from his bench with his emotions playing across his pale face while Natsu sat beside him with wide eyes. He knew that this would happen; his boys had become attached…they had actually figured themselves as Makoto's parents and now they had to let him go.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Mako-chan," Tsuchida placed her hand on his head, "But we have to return back home today."

The smile that was on Makoto's face dropped slightly,

"But…I don't want to go home. I…I want to stay with Natsu-san and Gray-chan! I want to stay here with them; I like it here."

Makarov winced as he felt Chida's burning glare; yeah, she did tell him this would happen. He opened his mouth to explain to the child that he couldn't stay here only for the sound of feet to reach his ears. He looked to his left to see Natsu and Gray walking over to the upset child and grandmother. As soon as Makoto heard them coming, the boy turned away from his grandmother and ran towards the ice mage and fire dragon slayer. Gray reached down and wrapped his arms around the boy and lifted him so that Makoto rested on his hip.

"Makoto," Gray looked at the boy sadly, "No matter how much you want to or how much we want you to, you can't stay here with us."

"Gray-chan, I don't want to leave you and Natsu-san!" The boy's eyes filled with tears and his bottom lip wobbled, "I don't want Natsu-san and Gray-chan to be sad; I love Natsu-san and Gray-chan."

Makarov could tell that the normally witty ice mage didn't know how to respond to that. Suddenly, Natsu made his presence known by standing closer to Gray and placing his hand on Makoto's hair soothingly. Makoto sniffled loudly, but tried to wipe away his tears; even if more just seemed to take their place.

"Mako," Natsu smiled at the boy goofily, "Don't you miss all your friends back home? I'm sure they miss you a lot."

The boy sniffled again and buried his face into Gray's shoulder,

"Of course I miss Haru-chan, Rin-chan, Rei-chan, Nagi-chan, Sou-chan, Momo-chan and Ai-chan; but if I go then I'll miss Natsu-san and Gray-chan and…and…I might not get to see you anymore."

Makarov felt his eyes water at Makoto's proclamation and he was pretty sure that he could hear the other members of the guild sobbing silently as well (in Juvia's case not so silently). However, Gray and Natsu's eyes managed to stay dry, even though he could tell that they wanted nothing more than to breakdown into tears of their own. Makarov watched as Gray tapped Makoto's nose playfully and smiled.

"You'll see us again," Gray nuzzled the top of his head, "And even if it's a long time from now; we'll be right here."

The Master of Fairy Tail's heart nearly shattered into little bits when he saw Gray poke lightly at the front of Makoto's shirt; right where his heart was. Makoto looked down at his pale finger in surprise before he tried to smile at the ice mage.

"Do you promise?"

Gray bit his lip slightly and nodded his head,

"From this day on, now and forever more."

Makoto buried his nose into Gray's shoulder once more, but this time his sobs were much more controlled; though, the same cannot be said for the other members of Fairy Tail. Makarov watched as Natsu rubbed the boy's back soothingly and buried his nose into the boy's hair just as Gray did; but he was willing to bet that Natsu was trying to engrain Makoto's scent into his memory.

"Stop your crying Mako," Natsu whispered, "It'll be alright, we'll always be here so don't you cry, okay?"

Makarov watched as Makoto raised his head and reached for Natsu with one arm so that he could give him a hug. He noticed the way Natsu's smile nearly broke as he felt Makoto's arm wrap around his neck tightly. After a few moments, Makoto let go of the dragon slayer's neck and secured his hold around Gray's neck. Natsu glanced over at Gray and the ice mage nodded his head slightly. Like they were participating in a wake, the two mages approached Tsuchida with Makoto in their arms.

"You must be Tsuchida-san," Gray smiled weakly, "Makoto has told us a lot about you; he loves you very much."

The older woman smiled in return,

"From what I've seen today, he seems to love you and that pink haired fellow very much as well; Natsu and Gray I presume?"

Makarov observed his children's interactions with Tsuchida and he could see just how much they didn't want to give Makoto up to her. As he looked at Natsu and Gray in this very moment, they truly did look like parents. They looked like parents who were giving up their child even though they loved him with all their heart.

"I want to thank you for taking care of Mako-chan for me," She tilted her head to the side, "It's good to see that he's smiling again."

Natsu shifted slightly and touched Gray's bare waist as a form of comfort,

"We didn't do much, Mako is a great kid and for the record, he helped us smile too; so make sure his smile doesn't disappear, yeah?"

"Natsu," Makarov raised an eyebrow warningly, but he was cut off by Tsuchida's acceptance.

He watched sadly as Gray pressed his lips to Makoto's forehead and Natsu ruffled the boy's hair one last time. The ice mage gently pried Makoto's hands from around his shoulders and handed him over to Tsuchida. With a quaint bow, Tsuchida thanked them once more before she turned around and walked out of the guild hall; Makoto's green eyes never leaving Natsu and Gray as he was carried out the door…

"Don't worry," Natsu repeated solemnly…

"Just look over your shoulder," Gray continued tearfully…

"We'll be there always…" They whispered together.

Makoto waved at them as the door finally shut on their retreating figures. The guild was engulfed in dark silence as sadness started to overrun them. Although Makoto spent most of his time with Natsu and Gray, they had grown to love them too, but most of their pain stemmed from the fact that two of their own were hurting. Without a word to anyone, Natsu and Gray walked out of the guild hall; their shoulders brushing and their hands touching.

"Man," Elfman's voice broke the silence, "That was heartbreaking."

The rest of the guild mumbled in agreement when the doors were thrown open to reveal a shadow standing in the doorway. Makarov smiled softly as Erza Scarlet marched through the doors as if she owned the place. Maybe with her return from her extended mission, Natsu and Gray would be able to work passed their dark time.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu and Gray sat on the outcrop that overlooked their place by the barren river.

They were so close to each other that their shoulders and hips were touching; but Gray had comfort in knowing that. He leaned his head on Natsu's shoulder and closed his eyes as he the tears he had been fighting to keeping back had finally spilled forth. He knew that this day would come eventually; he knew that Makoto wouldn't be able to be with them forever, but that didn't stop him from wishing for it every night.

Makoto's very existence changed everything about their life. Without Makoto, they wouldn't have gotten their heads out of their asses and realized that they not only needed him, but each other. He choked back a sob when Natsu buried his nose in Gray's hair and inhaled deeply. Their lives were going to be so quiet that Makoto was gone…well as quiet as they could be with them being Fairy Tail wizard.

"The bond between us can't be broken," Natsu whispered, "Even though he isn't here anymore, I won't leave your side."

Gray nodded his head and grimaced at the sound of tears in Natsu's voice,

"I won't either."

The wind whipped around them causing the smell of sweet grass and dirt to fill their senses. If they closed their eyes, they could almost see Makoto running around and playing. They could see Makoto laughing and cheering. They could see Makoto being happy. Gray reached out his hand and twined his and Natsu's pinkies together.

"He'll be in our heart…"

Natsu pressed a light kiss to Gray's temple,

"Always."

THE END

 **First of all, HAPPY BELATED FOURTH OF JULY MINNA!**

 **Second, you are all about to hear my sob story as I apologize for the fact that this was not up yesterday like it should've been. I was just finishing up writing this super long prompt (thank you Rewinsan!) when the power flickered in my house and I. LOST. EVERYTHING! . I almost died guys and I felt so bad that I still wasn't able to finish it until today! I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys!**

 **Third, as I previously mentioned this prompt was submitted to me by Rewinsan! :D It's freaking long, I know, but I just couldn't resist myself! Seriously, I'm contemplating on making this a legitimate multichapter fic at some point because there were so many things that I could've expanded on. As for the Free! characters being involved, I hope you don't mind…I watched the dub of Free! for the first time and while the 1** **st** **episode made me panic because it was nothing like I thought it would be, the 2** **nd** **totally won me over…**

 **Makoto saying Haru swims like a boss probably helped with that XD oh Funimation lol**

 **But, I digress…I hope you guys enjoyed this prompt if you guys actually manage to find the time to get through it! :P I'm looking forward your reviews! :)**

 **Oh… and I own Tsuchida…well this character…the name was just a random one I remembered from Kuroko's Basketball…sports anime I tell ya!**

 **-sktrgrl**

 _ **I'd like to send a huge thank you to those who reviewed/favourited/followed! You guys are all amazing and the faith you all put in me makes my day just a little bit brighter :)**_

 _ **EternalFlame401, Crystal. Ice. DS, AsDarknessSpreads, AUehara and uzukun89 I want to thank you for your comments! Your praise and criticism makes me a better writer, so thank you so much for all your support! I hope you like this one…even if it's late :'(**_


	5. Prompt 5 - All a Part of Growing Up

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns the magnificent Fairy Tail and its characters!**

 **Warnings: Language, Shounen-ai/Yaoi, Potential OOC-ness (big time), Angst, Fluff, this may also tread on 'M' rating territory so beware!**

 _ **Acceptance**_

Gray stared at the letter that he held in his hands.

The time had finally come; the time where all the college and university acceptance letters were distributed to the applying students. The raven swallowed thickly as he stared at the envelope and he tapped it against the table as he tried to find the urge to open it. If there was something that he feared, he would have to say that he feared the future. He didn't like the unknown; he hadn't like it since his parents were killed in the massive storm caused by the aftershocks of Hurricane Deliora.

The raven had established roots in Magnolia and he wasn't looking forward to having to leave it. Here in Magnolia, at Fairy Tail High School, he had friends and family, he had friends who were like family and then he had _Natsu Dragneel_. Well, he technically didn't _have_ Natsu, it was impossible to own a human being and they fought more often than they got along…but that wasn't the point. Natsu had been a constant annoyance at his side for over ten years and he couldn't imagine having to go to college without the flame bastard at his side.

Even if he was a nuisance…in more ways than one.

Not only was the bastard annoying and brash and _always_ trying to pick a fight with him, but the bumbling idiot had also succeeded to worm his way into Gray's frozen heart. No matter what he tried to do, the raven couldn't get the pink haired boy out of his mind. He found himself not only wanting to punch the dumbass every chance he got, but wanting to tangle his hands in Natsu's infamous muffler (and no, he wouldn't try to strangle him with it) and pull him forward so that he could kiss the shit out of him.

Gray sighed in defeat and slammed his head onto the table with a resounding bang. He winced as he raised his head and rubbed the growing bump tenderly. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't try to fix that thought process. For the longest time, he found himself locked in an internal battle; he'd tell himself over and over that he couldn't like the flame brain. First off, Natsu was a guy therefore he couldn't actually like him because Gray Fullbuster was most definitely _not_ gay.

He used to repeat it to himself like it was his mantra and it was working for the most part…until his mind started to rebel and give him wet dreams about his rival instead; now that was a confusing and embarrassing time. So the next thing he thought of was avoiding the pinkette and not only was that hard as hell, but he ended up making Natsu think that he legitimately hated him and being who he was, he couldn't let Natsu think that.

It had taken him a total of six months to accept the fact that he was gay for Natsu-fucking-Dragneel. The real sign that he was head over heels for Natsu was when the gang decided to go to the beach and Gray couldn't stop drooling at Natsu's figure; now that one was hard to explain. Even now, Natsu had no idea that he liked him in that way and it would probably remain that way seeing as the hot sauce obsessed jerk was so oblivious that it was painful.

Gray was torn out of his thoughts by the sound of his phone going off. He threw the envelope containing his future on the table and answered without looking at the screen; only three people called him anyway and none of them was…

"Oi ice block, did you get your acceptance letter for Fiore College yet?"

He nearly dropped his phone in surprise; when had Natsu ever tried to call him? Scratch that, how the hell did he even have his number? Yeah they were 'friends', but they never really bothered with talking outside of school unless they were in group situations. Gray scowled at the thought; their relationship really was dysfunctional wasn't it?

"What's it matter to you?" Gray muttered into the phone, "And how the hell did you get my number?"

Smooth Gray…really smooth, way to let the guy you like think you hate him.

"Isn't it obvious ice head? My letter came in and I want to know if we'll be together next year." He could hear the amusement in Natsu's voice, "And who do you think gave me your number? It was Erza, Loke and Lucy of course."

Gray glared hatefully at the wall in front of him; those damn traitors. However, his mind reminded him of what Natsu had said before he revealed the names of culprits. He felt hope flutter in his chest and promptly squashed it before his heart got too carried away. Just because there was chance that Natsu would be with him next year doesn't mean that he'd be able to get the oblivious dumbass to fall in love with him.

"So," Natsu's excited voice pulled him out of his thoughts, "Did you get your letter or not?!"

He rolled his eyes,

"Yes, but I haven't opened it yet." _And he didn't plan on doing so anytime soon._

"I haven't either," Natsu laughed loudly, "How about we do it together?"

Gray yanked the phone away from his ear and stared at the device incredulously. What was with Natsu being all 'buddy-buddy' with him all of a sudden? It wasn't in Natsu's character to be talking to him about the future like this and they haven't even yelled at each other yet…it's all been quite civil…too civil…

"What's with you today flame brain?" Gray demanded as he put his ear to the phone, "Why the sudden interest with whether we end up at the same college or not? I thought you could care less where I ended up after high school."

The other end of the line became silent at the question. If he wasn't able to hear Natsu's breathing through the speaker, he would've thought the pink haired teen hung up. Gray was about to hang up himself in a few seconds if Natsu didn't say anything; he wasn't going to pay for a more expensive cell phone bill if all he was doing was listening to Natsu's breathing.

"Well," Natsu finally said lowly, "Erza, Loke and Lucy _might_ have mentioned something to me earlier today…"

Gray suddenly got a really bad feeling; he didn't like where this was going,

"Oh yeah, and what was that?"

"They might have implied that you liked me a lot more than you should…" _Or a lot_ was left unsaid.

Gray pursed his lips; maybe it was best if he went to college after all considering his friends in Magnolia were a bunch of meddlers and backstabbers. He was in the middle of thinking of ways to murder all his current friends without getting caught when Natsu's voice once again pulled him out of his thoughts for what felt like the millionth time that night.

"You know Gray Fullbuster, I never pegged you for a coward."

"What did you just call me?!"

Natsu laughed from the speaker,

"A coward; honestly, it's not like you to hide something like that."

"What did you expect me to do?!" He demanded furiously, "Why tell you when I already know that you don't feel the same?"

Natsu was silent again on the other end of the line. Gray sighed loudly and went to hang up the phone to save himself from further embarrassment (and giving Natsu more ammunition) when he froze at the sound of Natsu's serious voice.

"And who are you tell me how I feel?"

Gray nearly dropped the phone,

"What the hell does that mean?"

The raven could practically see Natsu rolling his squinty eyes in his mind,

"It means that when we all went to the beach a few days ago, I was waiting for you to act on your feelings rather than stand there drooling; and you call me an idiot."

"Oi!" He protested loudly.

"Anyway, I better go; Gramps needs the phone," Natsu ignored him, "I'll let you know about to acceptance letter tomorrow at school, so you better read yours!"

"You can't just drop a bomb on me like that and hang up, you asshole!" Gray shouted in annoyance.

However, all that responded to him was the sound of the dial tone. He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it; his eyebrow twitching in annoyance and shock. He didn't think that it was possible for him to fall more in love with his rival, but he was apparently just proved wrong. He found his eyes wandering from the phone in his hand to the envelope that was still resting on the table in front of him, only…

It didn't scare him anymore; he already got the most important form of acceptance…

And he got it from Natsu-Fucking-Dragneel.

 _ **College**_

Fiore College was nothing like Fairy Tail High.

While most of the people attending Fairy Tail had grown up together as children and had been in the same elementary school and middle school classes, everyone here was a complete stranger. Natsu felt himself instinctively tightening his grip around the hand that was holding his. He hated relying on Gray like this; but he never was good at reacting to change. In fact when Fairy Tail High was remodelled after an arson incident, it took him months to accept the changes.

And even then he had pouted (though he'd deny it to people's faces) about it for days.

"What's wrong flame brain?" Gray's teasing voice reached his ears, "Are you turning into a chicken?"

Natsu scowled at his boyfriend (it was still strange calling him that) and punched his shoulder with his free hand,

"Of course not; I'm not afraid of anything…unlike someone else I know."

The raven bristled at the taunt,

"Who says I'm afraid of anything?!"

Natsu smirked at Gray,

"Two words, Juvia. Lockster."

The pinkette couldn't contain his laughter as he noticed the immediate chill that swept down Gray's spine. Even though he liked to tease Gray about his high school stalker, it didn't mean that he didn't feel bad for his counterpart. Juvia Lockster was, lack for better word, absolutely insane. Despite the fact that she attended a different high school, she spent her time following Gray everywhere and telling people that he would one day have thirty children with her.

If that was creepy he didn't know what was.

Natsu even knew of her stalker-ish tendencies first hand. The first time he witnessed it was of course when Juvia had actually transferred out of Phantom Lord Academy and into Fairy Tail High. The second time he noticed was when she would continuously refer to Lucy as her 'love rival' even though she had no romantic interest in Gray. The third time he experience it was when she had found Gray and him making out at the lockers…let's just say that didn't go over very well.

"You have nothing to worry about ice princess," Natsu teased, "She went to a completely different school remember?"

The raven got a haunted look in his deep blue eyes,

"She'll find me; I'm sure of it!"

To his dismay, he couldn't exactly disagree with his boyfriend on that one. It may take a while, but Juvia will turn up one of these days and it probably wasn't going to be pretty. Natsu glanced up at Gray's face out of the corner of his eye and he couldn't contain his smile. He couldn't be happier that he was able to spend his college years with someone he knew; more specifically that that someone was Gray.

They might fight like cats and dogs and they might disagree on what to eat for dinner on most nights, but Gray was the one person that he wanted to be part of his future. Though he hastily added Erza, Lucy, Loke and Happy to his list as well; they just weren't there with them right now is all.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Gray leaning down and placing a kiss on his lips. The smell of spearmint and pine trees immediately wafted over him; he loved Gray's smell. He hummed as the raven's tongue traced his lips playfully, but didn't try to enter his mouth; he was in a teasing mood was he? He pulled away from his lover and tilted his head towards the direction of their home.

"How would you feel about continuing this on a softer surface?"

Gray pressed a quick, lust-filled kiss to his lips before dragging him back to the house,

"Hell yeah."

Natsu stared at Gray's back as he was led back to the home that they made with each other. Sure college was bound to be challenging, but he was sure that he and Gray would be able to make it through together.

College wouldn't be strong enough to change them.

 _ **Cheater**_

He couldn't believe his eyes.

He had heard that college could change people, but he didn't think it meant something like this.

He had given everything to him, and how had he repaid him?

By making out with some random girl on a couch.

At a party.

A party that he said that he wasn't going to go to because he had a paper due.

"Natsu?"

The pink haired young adult ignored the sound of his supposed lover's voice and turned on his heel as fast as lightning. He pushed through the crowds of people, not caring if he spilt drinks on anyone or knocked people over, and he exploded out of the front doors of the house. Thunder sounded ominously overhead as he stormed down the sidewalk without looking back.

How could Gray do that to him?! After Gray was the one to fall in love with him first, how could the asshole betray him like that?! How could the stupid ice prick make him fall in love with him and then rip his heart right out of his chest?! Gray knew that he had issues with trusting people and letting them into his life; ever since his dad left him, he's had trouble with people leaving him and Gray knew that…he thought that Gray of all people shared the same fears as he did.

But apparently he was wrong.

"Natsu!" He heard a voice call desperately from behind him, "Would you slow the fuck down for one second?!"

"Why should I?" Natsu called back furiously, "So you can lie to my face some more?!"

"That's not what happened!" The sound of Gray's running footsteps reached his ears as he got closer, "Just let me explain!"

The pinkette snorted in disbelief,

"What is there to explain? I saw you in the act Gray; there's no way you'll be able to talk yourself out of this one."

To make things worse, rain started to fall from the sky. Natsu cursed under his breath and buried his face in his muffler and picked up his pace. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck outside with Gray in the rain. However, he was halted in movements when a familiar cold hand grabbed a hold of his wrist and effectively stopped him from moving completely. Natsu whipped around, his honey-green eyes shining with fire, as he glared at his counterpart.

"Let go of me."

Gray's hand twitched slightly, but the grip remained:

"No, not until you listen to what I have to say."

Natsu laughed in his face,

"What is there to say? She kissed you, you didn't kiss her? You were drunk? Your friends dared you to do it? Which one were you planning on feeding me?"

The raven's alabaster face seemed to pale even more with each excuse that flew out of Natsu's mouth. The pinkette smirked self-deprecatingly; why did he think that Gray would be different. Even in high school Gray was a ladies' man…until he had suddenly turned gay for Natsu. He should have known that it was only a phase and that the raven haired man would grow tired of their relationship at some point.

"You're one cold hearted bastard Gray Fullbuster," Natsu spat, "I hoped that I'd be able to fix you, but I guess I was wrong."

"Natsu," Gray shook his head, "Don't say that okay? You should know me by now; I've changed since back then, we both have… I love you and no one else, why can't you believe that?"

The pinkette frowned,

"Because I know what I saw ice block; you let her kiss you."

Gray's eyes shone hurtfully,

"I told you that's not what happened…"

"Then tell me what happened."

The raven opened his mouth, but closed it again as nothing seemed to come out. Natsu's shoulders slumped as Gray managed inflict wound after wound on him. Without hesitation, the pinkette pulled his fist back and punched Gray in the face causing the raven's grip to loosen on his wrist allowing him to pull free. He stared down at his supposed lover and felt anger and the stings of betrayal flowing through his veins.

"I suggest you don't come home tonight; I don't want you anywhere near me."

Thunder cracked across the sky followed by a flash of lightning. He turned away from his fallen 'lover' and started to make his way back home. His hands were shaking at his sides as he walked and his chest clenched painfully as the scene of Gray and the random girl flashed through his mind like a movie on repeat.

He should've known that he couldn't trust Gray. Maybe back in high school he could have…before he fully gave the raven haired track runner his heart. He shoved his trembling hands into his pockets; things were easier when they were rivals who hated each other more than they liked each other. If there was one thing he regretted at this very moment, it was accepting Gray's feelings.

 _ **Asshole**_

"Gray, you are a complete asshole."

The raven dabbed the ice pack on his face as he glared at Loke through the webcam. He was very aware of his shortcomings, thank you very much. He winced as the ice pack touched a more sensitive spot close to his nose. He was lucky that Natsu hadn't managed to break his nose to be honest; they hadn't fist fought each other since they got together, so when Natsu threw the punch at him, he wasn't really expecting it.

"I already know that," Gray hissed, "And not just because you've told me that three times in the last five minutes."

Loke adjusted his glasses,

"Well what else do you expect me to say? You're the one that fucked up."

Gray slumped forward,

"I know I did, but I called you so you would help me figure out how to fix it; not so you can continuously tell me how much of a screw up I am."

The raven threw the ice pack on the table next to his laptop and sighed loudly. The one thing he was grateful in all this was that Lyon lived near the college and the silverette seemed like he was in a fairly charitable mood. Despite their fights in the past, he knew that his foster brother would always have his back; even if they fought a little more than 85% of the time.

"Did you tell him what happened?"

"I tried to," Gray threw his hands up into the air, "But he wouldn't let me speak."

The strawberry blonde stared at him flatly,

"Gray, you two have been talking over each other for over ten years; why the hell would he not letting you speak stop you from letting your voice be heard?"

He ran his fingers through his hair,

"Even if I told him the truth, who says that he'll believe me?"

"Seriously, I don't know how Natsu puts up with you," Loke frowned, "You're honestly impossible to talk to sometimes."

"Oi!"

"Listen up Fullbuster," Loke pointed at him through the screen, "You're going to march your fine ass back home and tell Natsu what actually happened or else you'll forever be known as the asshole who broke Natsu's heart."

"Loke…" Gray began warningly.

"And do you know who the first person to find out about what you did to Natsu's heart?"

The raven immediately felt sweat start dripping down his back,

"Oh please, not her!"

"Then do what I say and go win Natsu's heart back you sexy exhibitionist!"

Gray glared at his friend,

"Who are you calling an exhibitionist, you damn pervert."

"Hey, at least I have my shirt on."

He glanced down and noticed that he had in fact lost his shirt sometime during the conversation with Loke. He cursed colourfully under his breath as the strawberry laughed at him before signing off. After a few minutes Gray managed to find his shirt and he pulled it over his head. He glanced around the empty apartment before pulling his cellphone out of his pocket. He scrolled through the numbers on his phone, lingering on Natsu's name for a moment before moving passed it, he instead selected the name that rested at the bottom of the list.

He listened to the dial tone as he waited; after two rings someone finally answered…

"Hi," He whispered, "I need your help with something; do you think you can spare a few minutes?"

 _ **Lips**_

He didn't think that the house would be so quiet without Gray in it.

Every part of him wanted to go find the raven and take him back, but that would be the dumbest decision that he could ever make. As much as he loved Gray, he had to show him that he would not take this lying down. He to prove to him that it was not alright for him to do something like this to him; Natsu's chest still tightened every time he thought about what happened the night before. He sort of felt guilty about leaving Gray in the rain like he did, but then he remembered that the asshole deserved it.

He still couldn't believe that Gray cheated on him.

With all his time alone for the past day, he couldn't help but wonder if he did something wrong. Did he piss Gray off too much with something he did? Was he ignoring Gray? Was he not pleasuring Gray enough? Question after question kept haunting him and no matter how much he thought, he couldn't seem to find an answer. The only progress he made was that he missed the feel of the ice bastard's lips against his. He missed the slight chapped feeling they had and how full they were. He also missed the way Gray's body molded around him when the slept and the way his footsteps sounded as he walked through their apartment. He missed teasing Gray about his stripping habit and he missed hearing Gray's snarky remarks.

Natsu sighed loudly; he missed everything about Gray and it pissed him off.

The time in his life where the ice block was his rival and nothing more were the easiest times of his life. Back then, Gray was only a person for him to beat and occasionally humiliate; he was the partner in crime that joined him when Erza beat the snot of out them for fighting or destroying part of the school. But then he had to go and get dependent on the damn ice head; so really it was his fault that he was in the situation.

The sound of someone knocking on the door caused him to shake the thoughts out of his head temporarily and put on his 'people-person' face. He smiled as much as he could without making it seem faked and he opened the door. He opened his mouth to greet his visitor only to let the smile slip right off his face. Standing in his doorway was none other than Gray-Fucking-Fullbuster; the very bastard he was thinking about.

"Natsu…"

"Goodbye!"

He went to shut the door, but his escape plan was foiled when the raven's foot jammed itself in the doorway. Natsu tried forcing his body against the door in order to force it closed; and it seemed to be working if Gray's constant cursing was anything to go by. But of course, being the stubborn bastard he was (though Natsu still insisted he was more so) Gray managed to push the door open enough for him to slide into the entrance way.

"Natsu," Gray huffed as he touched his foot to the floor tenderly, "Will you please let me talk to you?"

He folded his arms across his chest,

"We already tried 'talking' last night Gray; there is nothing else for us to talk about."

Natsu looked away from the raven as a flash of pain appeared on his face. To hell with Gray being hurt; he was feeling hurt too, if even more so. At the sound of a door opening, Natsu turned his head towards Gray again to see that he was letting a girl into their house. And not just any girl either; it was _the_ girl. The very girl that Gray was making out with on the couch.

He took in the girl's nearly waist length raven hair and porcelain skin and he couldn't look at her anymore. Of course the girl that Gray had to cheat on him with had to be damn beautiful as well. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but somewhere in his heart he was hoping the girl was actually hideous and the lighting in the house was actually that bad.

"How dare you bring her here!" Natsu spat as he stormed towards Gray, "How dare you bring her into _our_ home, you piece of shit!"

"Oi," Gray held up his hands in surrender, "Just hear me out, okay? It's not what you think!"

"Like hell it isn't," Natsu hissed as he grabbed onto the front of his 'lover's' jacket, "You tried that on me last night and I didn't believe you then; why the hell would I believe you now!"

The sound of feminine laughter caused him to turn his glare towards the seductress,

"You think this is funny do you?! You think it's _funny_ to ruin the relationships of other people?!"

"Of course not," The girl arched a delicate eyebrow, "Wow Gray, you didn't tell me about the mouth he had on him; he sure is a feisty one."

Natsu growled at the girl,

"Who are you calling feisty, you one-time bimbo?!"

"Natsu!" Gray shouted incredulously, "Watch what comes out of your mouth around her!"

The pinkette shook the raven back and forth,

"What, are you defending her now?!"

"Oh jeez," The girl pressed his fingers to her forehead, "I thought you said that he met Ur before?"

Natsu was about to unleash on another tirade when Ur's name stopped him in his tracks. How the hell would some stranger know about Ur? Now he knew something was up; no matter how drunk Gray was the night before, if it all, there was no way he would've brought up Ur…that was just too personal to him. Natsu glanced back and forth between Gray and the girl for a few moments when he started to realize that the girl started to look familiar…

"Uh Gray," Natsu narrowed his eyes at him, "Why does she look like Ur?"

The raven rolled his eyes and yanked Natsu's hands off his jacket,

"That's what I was trying to tell you; this is Ultear Milkovich, she's Ur's daughter."

The pinkette blinked at his 'lover' owlishly and then glanced at Ultear who was waving at him mockingly. He thought back to the night before and cringed; there was no way he had mistaken it though.

"She's practically your sister ice block!" He shouted, "Why the hell were you kissing her?!"

Gray face palmed dramatically,

"I'm telling you that's not what happened."

"But I saw you two kissing; I know that's what I saw."

Ultear's chuckle once again brought his attention to her,

"What happened was that Gray and I were talking, simply catching up, when a sloppy buffoon bumped into me and sent me coincidentally onto Gray's lips; which are quite fine if I say so myself."

"That sounds strange coming from someone like you." Gray turned bright red.

Natsu blinked at the two of them incredulously,

"You honestly expect me to believe that?"

Ultear scoffed under her breath,

"I have no reason to lie to you Natsu; Gray asked me to come here and help him explain things because he cares about you too much to lose you. Now it appears my job is done, so I'm going to pick up Meredy so we can go to the spa."

The pinkette watched wide eyed as Ultear simply turned around and left the way she came. His eyes trailed over to Gray who was still red faced and had his hand pressed over his face in embarrassment. Natsu sighed under his breath and approached the raven once more; he pulled his hand away from his face so that he could look straight into Gray's droopy deep blue eyes.

"Okay, you didn't cheat on me," Natsu forced out, "But that doesn't mean you didn't lie to me…why were you at the party when you told me that you were working on an essay?"

Gray threw his hands up into the air in exasperation,

"I didn't lie to you; it was a team essay for my sculpting class. One of the guys said we could do it as his house only for all his roommates to show up with a party trailing behind them. And if you don't believe me, you can ask everyone who was there."

If it was for any class other than his sculpting class, Natsu might have called bullshit. However, out of all his classes his sculpting class was the most important to him. After all, it was the art that Ur had taught him when he was a child; the art that gave him the most freedom. Natsu relaxed his tense shoulders and grabbed onto Gray's hands, squeezing them in his own.

"Fine," Natsu muttered as he played with the raven's knuckles, "I'll forgive you this time, but if it happens again nothing is going to stop me from kicking your ass; you hear me?"

Gray sighed,

"I know…I'm so sorry Natsu."

The pinkette smirked as he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Gray's lips,

"Ultear was right you know; you do have sexy lips."

THE END

 **I did it Minna! I was able to get back on track and put up July 5** **th** **on July 5** **th** **XD**

 **This set of prompts was donated to me by Purp-lex16754, my first ever GraTsu prompt (with uke!Natsu even though I don't really like that term lol)**

 **I really hope that you enjoy it Purp-lex16754, it was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever had to write :P bottom Natsu has never really been my thing, so I hope that I was able to make you happy :)**

 **Waiting on all your reviews! :)**

 **-sktrgrl**

 _ **And thanks again to all those who favourited/followed/reviewed! You guys are all awesome! I couldn't thank any of you enough!**_


	6. Prompt 6 - Double Date from Hell

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns the magical world of Fairy Tail and its characters**

 **Warnings: Language, Crack pairing, Shounen-ai/Yaoi, Potential OOC-ness (may be rampant), Everyone buckle up; it's gonna be a bumpy ride**

"No."

Natsu leaned against the raven's kitchen counter and quirked an eyebrow at his lover in surprise. It wasn't often that Gray told him 'no' right away. Whenever he asked for something, the ice mage would put up a front by saying 'no way in hell', maybe throw in a few nicknames, but the pinkette generally always got what he wanted in the end; though Gray would always deny it (being the tsundere he was…even if he didn't know what a 'tsundere' was until Lucy told him). However, this time around Gray seemed dead set on their date night remaining between the two of them…considering who he asked him to double with, he could see why.

"C'mon ice princess," He smirked at him, "Don't be a bastard; it's their first date and they're nervous about being alone with each other, it won't be that bad."

Gray stared at him incredulously,

"You do know who you're talking about right? This has the potential to be nuclear."

He smiled at his lover coyly,

"People thought the same thing about us and we turned out okay."

The ice mage scoffed,

"If 'okay' is code for fighting every other day instead of every day, then we're doing fantastic…but a date with _them_ of all people; Natsu we're just asking for a disaster."

The dragon slayer would be lying if he said that Gray was completely wrong and things were going to go amazingly. He knew what _those_ two could be like, and well they made Fairy Tail's exhibitionist look tame. Not that the ice mage never did anything as forward as the other two, but well, stripping his clothes off every chance he got tended to send the wrong message.

A message that sent his own hormones firing.

"Should you really be saying that about your best friend?" He teased the ice mage as he pushed himself away from the counter and stalked towards the ice mage who was leaning in the doorway.

He could tell that Gray was trying to keep his scowl on his face but was absolutely failing. Natsu smirked at his lover and reached out to loop his fingers around Gray's belt loops. He tugged the raven forward so that their lower abdomens brushed against each other. The pinkette smirked as he heard Gray inhale sharply from the movement.

"With me being his best friend," Gray stated through clenched teeth, "I know what he's capable of doing and having met his 'other half' a few times as well and I know what he's capable of."

Natsu chuckled,

"I do too, but still it could be fun you know."

The ice mage stared at him flatly,

"You have a strange definition of fun."

The fire mage pressed his lips to the corner of his Gray's lips,

"Gray, you've known me for over ten years and you're just figuring that out now."

He could tell that the ice mage was cracking under his ministrations. His scowl was starting to smooth out and his shoulders were starting to relax. Natsu knew that despite the fact that Gray was damn set against going on a double date with the two of them, the frosty bastard would end up doing it anyway and not only because Natsu had asked him to. No, Gray would do it because Loke was his best friend, maybe even his brother in some respects, and he'd do anything for the people he cared about.

Natsu knew this first hand…

"If anything goes wrong on this date, you're taking the heat for it."

On the other hand, Gray could be a frigid bitch when he wanted to.

FTFTFTFT

 _So far so good_ …

And he hoped that it could remain that way, but considering who they were with it was debateable. Gray leaned back against his seat in the booth and smiled slightly at the couple sitting in front of him. Never in a million years would he have thought that these two playboys would fall in love…with each other. Don't get him wrong, Loke tended to give of a bisexual vibe; even if he did lean towards women, he had revealed (to Gray at least) that he had fooled around with some men. So, in a sense Loke being interested in pursuing a relationship with men isn't _too_ weird.

His date, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter.

He couldn't fathom it at all; Natsu teased him for being close minded, but there's closed minded and then there's plain impossible. Gray glanced at his lover from the corner of his eye as he stuffed his face with some ribeye that he ordered and sighed; people believed that they were plain impossible and doomed to fail at first too…but they weren't dating Hibiki Lates.

 _The_ Hibiki Lates…of Blue Pegasus…the guild that _spawned_ perverts.

Gray didn't know that Hibiki even thought about men as people to even think of. From the very moment that the ice mage had met the archive-user was way back when they had to team up to defeat the Oracion Seis, Hibiki (along with the rest of the Trimens) proved where his sexuality lied; in more ways than one. He stared at the brown haired green eyed ladies' man in front of him and couldn't help but feel protective over his best friend; which was completely valid given the fact that Hibiki was a _playboy_ , there was no way that he had a serious bone in his body.

Not that Loke was any better, but that wasn't the point.

"Oi Gray," The celestial lion's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, "What the hell are you so deep in thought about? If you think any harder you're going to have an aneurysm."

The ice mage smirked easily,

"Nah, that would be Natsu; he's the one who lacks a brain."

"Watch it ice princess," The dragon slayer growled out as he shoved some fries in his mouth, "If you're mean to me, you're not getting any tonight."

The raven barked out a laugh,

"Yeah, let's see how long that threat would actually last, why don't we?"

His smile widened when he heard Natsu cursing him under his breath before grabbing a handful of onion rings and shoving them into his mouth. He had to admit that it was a good idea for the four of them to come to an arcade and most of that was because of the variety of food and the fact that this particular arcade was buffet style. He learned early on in their relationship, you know when they were friends, that the one way to make Natsu behave was to surround him with an unsurmountable amount of food; but really, that wasn't the point here.

"So, Natsu and Gray," Hibiki smiled at them, "Thank you for letting us intrude on your…date…tonight."

Gray's eyebrow rose slightly and Natsu even paused in his inhaling to state,

"It wasn't a big deal; Gray and I have plenty of date nights, it's your first…it was the least we could do."

Loke opened his mouth to offer his input when their waitress came back with refills of their drinks. Gray's eyebrow twitched as Hibiki and Loke, the supposed couple, grinned lecherously at the poor girl who was stuck with waiting their table. He almost reached across the table to punch Loke in the face when the sparkles started to appear near his shades and wanted to run away and hide when he noticed Hibiki was tapping into his Trimens persona; seriously, how were the dating?!

"Hey there beautiful," Loke pulled down his shades and winked at her, "How are you doing this fine evening?"

The ice mage resisted the urge to face palm as a blush spread across the girl's face; it's not like this is the first time this happened tonight either,

"Uh," The girl looked away nervously, "It's going okay, I guess?"

"A princess like you shouldn't be working as hard as you are," Hibiki added lustrously as he reached out the girl and grabbed onto her hand, "Why don't you have a break and sit down with us?"

Was this really happening?

Gray leaned back in his seat once more and shot a side glance at Natsu who had frozen with a slice of pizza hanging from his mouth. He blinked at the two other men and the waitress for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and shoving the pizza down his esophagus. Had everyone lost their minds in a span of two seconds?!

"How are you not fazed by this?" He hissed at his oblivious lover.

The pinkette swallowed the remainder of his pizza,

"Because they're perverts; it was bound to happen…just like you were bound to throw off your shirt at any given notice."

"What are you talking about?"

The dragon slayer shot him a glance that clearly said 'are you serious' and he quickly found out why. A scowl slanted his lips when he felt a suspicious, but all too familiar, breeze brushing against his chest. He looked around himself and his shirt was nowhere in sight…again…he folded his arms across his bare chest and levelled a glare on his lover.

"Shut up."

"Corrine," Loke purred drawing Gray's attention back to their flirt-fest, "What do you say about joining me and Mr. Lates here after your shift?"

Hibiki winked as he pressed his lips to her hand,

"You like you need a little pampering, my gorgeous flower."

Gray's mouth dropped open as the girl stuttered something that sounded like an agreement before turning on her heel and running off. Perverts or not, that was a little odd…especially since the two of them were the ones who were supposed to be dating. He looked between the two ladies' men and buried his face in his arms in exasperation.

"Gray?" Loke's voice reached his ears, "Are you okay man?"

"Okay?" He laughed semi-hysterically, "Okay? Can you tell me what the hell was going on right now?"

The sandy brown haired mage folded his hands on the table,

"What do you mean? I think it was pretty brilliant if you ask me."

Gray glanced at his lover to see if he would back him up on just how crazy this was when he saw that Natsu had decided to start digging into his dessert. Could that pink haired idiot be anymore oblivious; it truly baffled him how he could love this dumbass so much sometimes. He glanced at his best friend to see if he had anything to say about what happened, but the stupid lion seemed just as happy as his 'date'.

How in the hell did he meet these type of people?

"Are you going to explain the 'brilliance' of your plan?" He demanded, "'Cause dude, I'm really confused."

Loke leaned back and put his hands behind his head,

"Well, as you know this relationship is sort of new right?"

The ice mage blinked at him,

"Yes, in fact I'd say it came out of nowhere."

The lion waved the statement off and smirked at Gray coyly,

"How we met isn't that important, what is important is that we give this a try even if one of us had no idea he was Loke-sexual until recently."

"Did you just say 'Loke-sexual'?" Gray choked on the drink he had just brought to his lips.

"Yeah; it's a label I give men who were not gay until they met me," Loke winked playfully, "Actually, there was I time I thought you were Loke-sexual yourself Gray."

Suddenly, Gray was forced to cover his face as all the cake that was stuffed Natsu's cheeks came spraying out like he was doing a 'Fire Dragon's Roar'. The ice mage grimaced as he shook what used to be remnants of chocolate cake of his arm and he glared at his lover who was looking back at him in what seemed to be…jealousy? The sound of a somewhat girlish squeal brought his attention to the 'couple' across from him, who had gotten the full-on spit-take.

"You were Loke-sexual?!" Natsu demanded furiously.

Gray pressed his fingers to his temple,

"Can you please stop saying that; it's not an actual fucking word flame brain!"

"Who cares if he was 'Loke-sexual' or not?" Hibiki hissed through clenched teeth, "Do you have any idea how many jewel this suit cost me; I bought it especially for today too!"

Natsu leaned across the table and grabbed the front of Hibiki's dirty suit,

"It matters to me damnit! He's my ice princess, so like hell I'm going to take this lying down!"

The ice mage released a harsh breath and stared at Natsu incredulously,

"Even if I was Loke-sexual, which I sure as hell wasn't, it shouldn't matter anymore dumbass because I'm with you; so let it go."

Gray and Natsu glared at each other for what seemed like an eternity until the dragon slayer looked away petulantly; sadly, Gray knew he hadn't heard the end of this. He ran his fingers through his hair in exhaustion and he stared at the chocolate covered couple.

"Okay, back on topic," Gray sighed loudly, "What was the point of this date if you were going to pick up a chick all along?"

"Easy," Loke shrugged his shoulders and wiped chocolate off his shades, "I wanted him to be comfortable with what we were doing, so why not set up a scenario where he could be himself until he's ready to accept what he has become?"

In that moment, Gray understood how Natsu's brain comprehended the world and it hurt him a bit. After all the years that he knew him, he never thought that the lion could be that insightful. He never considered the fact that Hibiki wouldn't be ready to accept the fact that he liked a man. When Gray thought back to when he and Natsu had gotten together, it had taken him a little while to accept that what was happening between them was really happening. It's not every day that rivals who hate each other become lovers who can't live without the other.

Maybe in time Loke and Hibiki would feel that way too…

"And Loke saw the pros to having a threesome," The archive-user smirked, "Though, we'll treat dear sweet Corrine with the love and care that she deserves."

But in the end, they were still perverts.

Gray pinched the bridge of his nose and laughed,

"Do whatever you guys want, just leave me out of it."

The strawberry blonde playboy smirked,

"Aw, you mean you don't want to go on double dates anymore?"

The ice mage snuck a glance over at Natsu who had transitioned from pouting to glaring angrily at the wall. He shrugged his shoulders and winked at the new couple as they also smiled at the dragon slayer's inherent anger. Despite the strangeness of their relationship, Gray hoped that Loke and Hibiki would work out. On this small double date, that he spent most of judging their relationship, he learned that there might not be two people more perfect for each other…

Well accept for him and Natsu of course.

THE END

 **Hey Minna!**

 **I'm sorry again for not updating the day before! :( Instead of sitting on my couch and cuddling with my laptop, I was sitting in the bathroom and hugging my toilet…being sick sucked! But now I'm better, so I'll try and catch myself up starting tomorrow! It's just been difficult since I work full time and now I have to actually sit and think of the prompts and come up with something on the spot :P But I'll deal! I'm so sorry for making you all wait!**

 **Especially, pickyourcosplay who sent me this prompt! :) I really tried my best with it, but I'm honestly not familiar with Hibiki's character since the Trimens tend to make my brain explode whenever they're around lol I also struggle a bit with the LokexHibiki pairing because I've never heard of it before :( I hope you're not too disappointed with this even if all of them are a little OOC (or maybe a lot)…**

 **I'm waiting patiently for all your reviews!**

 **-sktrgrl**

 _ **I also want to say thank you to all those who favourited/followed/reviewed for this fic! I'm happy that this managed to gain some more views and I hope that I can continue to please you! I honestly couldn't do any of this without you! :3 :) I'm glad that you all liked the past chapters and I thank all of you for the kind words and criticism!**_


	7. Prompt 7 - You're Not Alone

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns the magical, unbelievable world that is Fairy Tail**

 **Warnings: Language, Violence, Angst, Fluff, Potential OOC-ness**

He could feel himself slipping, bit by bit.

 _It was dark…_

He shouldn't feel it, but he could and it hurt.

 _It was cold…_

He couldn't feel any semblance of warmth.

 _Slowly fading away…_

He felt lost and he felt afraid..

" _ **No one will hear you cry, no matter how much you fight it; just giving in…it'll be easier."**_

 _It was hopeless…_

He felt so alone; even if he looked for a light, he'd never be able to find it…

"GRAY!"

FTFTFTFT

Gray Fullbuster, the ice make mage and ice devil slayer of Fairy Tail, shot forward in his bed so quickly that he found himself tumbling right out of it and hitting his nose on his bedroom floor. He cursed under his breath as he rubbed his reddening nose and tried to remember what he was dreaming about; after all, it wasn't that often that his nightmares caused him to wake up in that manner. He stopped massaging his aching nose and pushed his sweat soaked bangs out of his face as his ice magic worked to bring his body down to its average (or slightly below average) temperature.

Now that he thought about it, the last time his nightmares got the better of him like this was a little after the Tartaros incident. Fighting Mard Geer and his meeting with his father, along with all the other shit that he'd been through over the time he had returned from his seven year stint on Tenrou Island were enough to trigger the night terrors that he used to suffer from as a kid. It had gotten so bad after the Tartaros incident that Juvia wouldn't leave his side for nights; not that she left his side willingly that often to begin with.

His night terrors only started to stop haunting him after he joined up with Natsu, Lucy, Erza and the rest of Fairy Tail again. After all, the light of Fairy Tail was strong enough to fight any darkness; though the light of the guild wasn't simply powerful on its own, it was powered by each person that was important to him as well. He blushed at the thought and shook his head back and forth; when did he turn into such a sap about this stuff? He sighed under his breath and pushed himself off the floor and into a standing position. He winced slightly at the stiffness in his joints, but he shoved it to the back of his mind. He didn't have time to be slow anyways; if he didn't hurry up and get his ass to the train station, Erza was going to serve his ass on a platter.

And if the flame idiot was dumb enough, Gray might be served with a side of spicy dragon slayer.

The ice mage couldn't help but smile to himself; this would be the first official mission that the four of them would have since Fairy Tail had been re-established. Maybe with this, it would finally feel like life could return to normal. They could forget about Zeref, Acnologia, and the potential end of the world; Gray was even willing to forget about E.N.D… even if it was for a little while. He threw his blanket on his bed and stumbled towards the bathroom so he could have a quick shower before he left; his mind lingering on a past that felt like an eternity ago, but was in reality over a year ago.

He caught himself in the bathroom mirror as he entered and couldn't help but pause. Only a year had passed and things have changed so much; more than he ever would have thought was possible. He shot a glance at his bare right arm where the mark of his father used to rest proudly. The mark had melted into his skin shortly after the battle with Mard Geer; permanently etching itself into the blood that ran through Gray's veins. Of course he wanted to avenge his father by finishing his work, he wanted to find E.N.D. and he wanted to defeat him with all his being, but sometimes he wished that the most he had to worry about was Erza beating the snot out of him and Natsu losing too many brain cells.

Gray gazed into the mirror once more and took in the light bags that had taken refuge under his eyes; if he wasn't careful they were going to become noticeable to everyone and then the guild would harass him until he told them what was wrong. The only problem that he was dealing with were his night terrors that he no longer remembered when he woke up; it wasn't really a big issue and it wasn't like they were impeding on his magic abilities. Even so, the guild would worry…like always…

Mira would probably ask him to sit down and have some breakfast…

Elfman would tell him that 'a man shares his problems when he can't handle it on his own'…

Erza would probably give him _that_ look which said more than her actions ever did…

Happy would probably offer him some fish because to him that was the answer to everything…

Lucy would probably try and coax him into telling her about his problems…

And Natsu…

He frowned to himself as he stripped out of his boxers and stepped into the shower. He honestly didn't know what Natsu would do. If it was a year ago, the dragon slayer would probably pick a fight with him so that he could work out all his frustrations. But, ever since they met up again it felt as though the friendship he had with Natsu was different…not bad different, per se; but still different. They were still as close as ever, but it seemed as though there was a wall between them…a wall that neither of them seemed to be willing to scale.

He closed his eyes and shook the wayward thought out of his head. He didn't have time to be thinking about stuff like this; if he didn't get a move on, Erza would show up at his house and drag him to the train station…regardless of whether he was ready to go or not. As he immersed himself in his shower, he couldn't help but think that today was going to be a bad day.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu Dragneel buried his chin and nose in his muffler, with his arms folded across his chest petulantly, as he glared darkly at evil contraption that was supposed to take 'Team Natsu' on their mission. The request said something about fighting bandits who were terrorizing a town in the North, but he couldn't remember anything else. He basically saw the words "fight" and "bandits" and he was all gung-ho for the job…it was only after he accepted it for the team that he realized that it was a six hour train ride and it was on the edge of the Northern Continent.

He was on a mission from Hell.

His eyes wandered over to Wendy who was talking with Erza and Lucy while they waited for the ice princess and their train to pull into the station. He smirked to himself at the thought of the ice mage; maybe if he was lucky, Gray would be late and he'd get to watch the exhibitionist getting the snot beat out of him by Erza for once instead of the other way around. It would serve the pervy stripper right; he never got in trouble for anything; just 'cause the bastard was good at talking to Erza.

Despite those thoughts, his smirk slowly softened into a smile as his mind wandered to thoughts of his rival and best friend. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't happy that Future Rogue turned out to be wrong and that the ice mage truly didn't join the Avatar guild in order to get his revenge. Although he would always believe in Gray, he was willing to admit that Juvia instilled some fear into him; fear of the ice mage turning into the thing that he wants to destroy. But he knew the ice block's will was too strong to succumb to the darkness that lingered tantalizingly close to his heart.

"Hey Natsu!" Lucy called him over to them, "Why isn't Happy coming with us today?"

The dragon slayer shrugged in response to the random question,

"He said something about going fishing with Lily because Gajeel had something planned this afternoon; he didn't really get into any details."

"Gajeel-san?" Wendy tilted her head curiously, "Isn't it odd for him to go somewhere without Lily; he does care about him very much after all."

The pinkette couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled from his throat at the young mage's innocent statement. From the blush that had spread across Lucy's cheeks and the knowing look in Erza's eyes, he knew that they also knew where the iron dragon slayer was spending his afternoon. He just hoped that hoped that Happy would be able to keep Lily distracted enough so that Gajeel and Levy could have their date in peace…not that he actually cared about the bastard's love life…not at all.

"That aside," Lucy looked to the side, "Have any of you heard from Gray this morning?"

"I haven't," Titania's eyes glinted, "But if he's not here in the next two minutes I'm going to hunt him down myself; how dare he be late for the first mission we've had together in a year."

"Um, but Erza-san?" Wendy mumbled shyly, "You've been working with Gray-san for the past six months…"

The red haired mage's eyes narrowed dangerously,

"That's not the point."

Natsu sniffed the air and smiled as he turned towards the requip mage,

"Don't worry Erza, he's on his way; I can smell him now."

Erza relaxed slightly at Natsu's announcement and she wasn't disappointed; there was nothing sharper than a dragon slayer's nose after all. Gray could be seen running towards the platform with his overnight bag thrown over his shoulder and the bottom of his jacket was flying in the wind as he made his way towards them. He was about to greet the ice prick when a strange scent forced him to freeze in his tracks.

It smelled like something was rotting.

"Gray!" Erza shouted as she stormed towards the ice mage, "You're late!"

The raven came to a halt and threw his hands up in surrender,

"I know I am, I'm sorry."

The red head opened her mouth to begin her reprimanding only for Lucy to step up beside her and smile at the ice mage brightly,

"It's cool as long as you're here, right? The train is just pulling into the station now anyway."

Natsu vaguely noticed that the celestial mage was right and he also noticed that Erza was glaring at her for interrupting her tirade. However, he couldn't for the life of him actually pay attention to what was going on around him. His nose twitched as it started to burn from the rotten smell that continued to linger. His honey eyes shifted to the ice mage and he frowned when he noticed the bags that hugged Gray's eyes. They weren't noticeable to normal people, but to Natsu they were as obvious as a light from a lighthouse.

"Oi," Gray's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, "What the hell are you staring at flame brain? Jealous of what you see?"

The pinkette rolled his eyes and scoffed,

"As if ice princess; I'm more attractive than you any day."

The ice mage raised an eyebrow teasingly,

"Sure you are; you can think that if you want to fire breath, but it won't necessarily make it true."

Natsu couldn't help but relax as the two of them go lost in their banter. Maybe he was worrying about the ice princess over nothing. Plus, he found out during a night of drinking with ice mage that he had night terrors from time to time; that could explain the bags that he had under his eyes.

"Okay boys," Erza glared at her surrogate younger brothers, "That's enough; it's time to start our mission."

The pinkette blanched as he looked at the train,

"You know, we could always walk there…"

"Don't even start Natsu," Lucy began to push the dragon slayer towards the locomotive, "There's no way I'm walking three days to get to the Northern Continent."

The raven smirked at the blonde,

"The walk isn't all _that_ bad; we just might have to camp in the snow for a few nights that's all."

"Yeah," The celestial mage's smile twitched, "How about no?"

Gray laughed under his breath and patted her head before he shoved passed Natsu and hopped onto the train making his way towards a compartment that he could claim as their own. The dragon slayer himself, however, found himself pushed onto the train without even knowing it. He could faintly hear Erza ordering him to pull himself together and Wendy was apologizing to him for not being able to perform Troia due to the effect of casting the spell too much, but Natsu couldn't find himself caring…

Because the rotting smell was following Gray.

FTFTFTFT

Gray could barely keep his eyes open as he got off the train.

Being forced to listen to Natsu heave for almost 3.5 hours could take a lot out of someone as it was, but as he found himself getting closer and closer to the Northern Continent his mind wouldn't turn off. The last time he was there, he had gone to visit the remains of his hometown so that he could make a memorial for his mother and father. At that time, he had gone alone (or at least he intended to, but Juvia had followed him), but now he was returning with his friends by his side; it was almost poetic in a way.

"Woo!" Natsu cheered from beside him as he fell to the snow covered ground and kissed it, "I'm free!"

"Stop over-exaggerating flame brain," Gray shook his head at his friend's antics, "It was only a train ride."

The pinkette looked at him flatly,

"Only a train ride? It's more like a speeding go-kart from hell."

Lucy laughed from the other side of him,

"Funny how he used one mode of transportation to describe another."

Natsu puffed out his cheeks and looked away,

"Oh shut up."

The raven smirked at his annoyed friend before he forced back a yawn; they had just arrived in the village, he could not afford to be tired. His deep blue eyes scanned the wooden houses and shops with snow topped rooves; a sense of nostalgia washed over him as he took in the structures. Hielo was as beautiful as he thought it would be; from the frosted evergreens that were in the distance to the filled cafes that were full of people laughing and talking.

Wait a minute…

"Um," Wendy's soft voice reached his ears, "Doesn't it seem a little calm to you?"

"Good eye," Erza tipped her head towards the young blunette, "For people who are being 'terrorized by bandits' the people of this village seem relatively peaceful."

Lucy, who had stopped teasing the dragon slayer, furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully,

"They could be trying to ignore the situation; hoping that it will go away if they act normal?"

Gray thought about the celestial mage's theory, but couldn't help but disagree. Even if the villagers thought they should act normal, there would still be a sense of unease and there wasn't any of that at all. The townspeople were way to calm for people who were continuously under attack by bandits like the request implied. He unconsciously wrapped his hand around his right forearm and shifted uncomfortably; something didn't feel right.

Apparently feeling the same as he did; the dragon slayer raised an eyebrow at Erza,

"So, what do you think we should do?"

The red head observed their surroundings for a moment,

"We continue on like the request asks of us; we observe our surroundings closely for any signs of dishonesty and act accordingly. Is everyone in agreement?"

The four of them nodded determinedly, while the requip mage placed her hands on her hips and pointed to her massive pile of luggage:

"Now that that's settled, Natsu and Gray are going to pull my luggage and we'll all head to the hotel. We'll visit the mayor in the morning once we're all properly rested."

Gray's mouth dropped open as he stared at her luggage,

"You're not serious!"

Erza smiled slyly,

"Of course I am, I'm always serious."

"So are we," Natsu grunted defiantly, "We're not touching that monstrosity!"

Suddenly a suffocating darkness blanketed over the two mages; a darkness that the two of them knew very well. The mages stiffened as the sound of a sword coming from another dimension reached their ears:

"You two are going to move this luggage or you'll both be punished severely; is that clear?!"

"Yes ma'am!" Gray squeaked as he scrambled towards the luggage tower.

"Aye sir!" Natsu quaked with sweat rolling down his back as he followed the ice mage's lead.

"Good men!" Erza smacked both of their shoulders before joining Lucy and Wendy as they made their way towards the hotel.

The boys stared at the luggage and then at each other.

"It's been over a year and she still hasn't changed." Gray stated flatly.

"Yup," Natsu snuck a small smile, "And for some reason, I couldn't be happier."

The raven chuckled under his breath,

"Yeah, me either."

Simultaneously, the mages rolled their shoulders and each grabbed onto a handle and started to pull the massive mountain through the snow. For the first time in a while, Natsu and Gray were together and they were silent. No name calling was exchanged and no teasing; it was all in all a peaceful walk to the hotel…and despite this, Gray wasn't sure if he liked it. As much as he complained about how annoying Natsu's voice was, he secretly always enjoyed it. When Natsu was laughing obnoxiously, yelling insults and joking around, it was easy to tell that the dragon slayer was happy and loving life…but when he was silent, that was a different matter entirely.

Gray huffed through his nose,

"Oi fire brain, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Ice princess, what the hell is going on with you?"

The ice and fire mages blinked at each other owlishly as their voices overlapped. Gray felt his cheeks turn red and he turned away from Natsu's inquiring stare. He released one of his hands from the handle he was holding and ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"I asked you first."

Natsu scowled,

"Actually, I think I asked you first."

Gray's eyebrow twitched,

"Are you seriously that stupid; it's obvious that I asked you first flame head!"

The pinkette pushed his forehead into Gray's,

"Oh yeah! Then where's the proof ice bastard?!"

The ice mage shoved the dragon slayer away from him and frowned; they really weren't getting anywhere were they? Out of the corner of his eyes, he could tell that Natsu was thinking along the same lines as him. The pinkette's shoulders had relaxed along with his stance and he looked as if he was ready to start pulling the luggage again (though he didn't even realize that they stopped in the first place).

That was the thing about Natsu; the squinty eyed idiot has always had the ability to steal his attention. Whether they were screaming insults at each other or throwing fists, Natsu always managed to make everything around him disappear. It was as if the dragon slayer had an ability to create a space in which only the two of them existed. Some part of him even hoped that he made Natsu feel that way as well.

"So," The dragon slayer spoke again, "Are you going to tell me what's up?"

Gray scowled,

"Are we really going to do that again?"

Natsu chuckled under his breath and shook his head,

"Nah, I'll tell you if you tell me; I'm not the one that looks like a zombie."

The ice mage lowered his gaze to the ground,

"It's nothing really; I guess going on a mission in the Northern Continent makes me a little uneasy. The best things don't really tend to happen to me here."

The pinkette hummed,

"Yeah, I guess; but you're here with us this time, so maybe things will be better."

The raven raised an eyebrow,

"Well aren't you optimistic."

Natsu simply shrugged once more and continued pulling the luggage. Gray couldn't understand him more than half the time and that held a lot considering their confusing relationship. The rivals who pretended to hate each other, but actually cared about each other and protected each other as if they were blood…or possibly even more. It was rare that the ice mage saw this side of Natsu, but considering where they were and what was happening, he couldn't say he didn't like it.

The raven opened his mouth to make Natsu fulfill his end of the bargain, but he never got the chance because they made it to the front of the hotel. Erza, Lucy and Wendy were standing inside the entrance doors waiting for them and Erza did not look pleased that she had to wait; he was willing to bet that she knew that they were fighting earlier too.

"C'mon boys," She shook her head disapprovingly, "We have a long day tomorrow."

Natsu and Gray struggled through the door with the large mountain of luggage, but somehow managed to pull the monster into the lobby. Gray nearly tripped over Natsu and fell face first onto the tiled floor when the warmth of the building caused his exhaustion to spring back at him tenfold. He felt Natsu's calloused hand wrap around his wrist and keep him on his feet.

"Hey Droopy eyes," Natsu narrowed his eyes at him, "Are you alright?"

Gray yawned as he rubbed the back of his neck,

"Yeah, I'm just tired."

"Well," Lucy looked up at him in concern, "We already got the room keys; why don't you head on up?"

The ice mage forced back another yawn and nodded his head,

"Yeah, thanks."

He took the key from Lucy and nodded his head when she told him that their rooms were on the second floor. He heard Wendy ask him if he wanted her to check on him later, he simply told her no and started to head towards the staircase. His right arm tingled slightly causing him to rub it as he climbed the two flights of stairs. It also seemed that the closer he got to the room the hotter he got; hell, he felt like he was _sweating_.

He was so out of it that he nearly passed his door when he was stumbling down the hallway. He slid his key into the door and pushed it open. He stumbled through the open door and wiped the back of his hand over his forehead. He ignored the fact that his hand was trembling and instead started to make his way towards the set of beds in the middle of the room.

He didn't even remember his head hitting the pillow.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu watched the retreating back of the ice mage as he sluggishly made his way up the stairs. He couldn't stop the furrow in his brow as he realized that the rotten scent that had plagued him since Gray had joined him on the platform only seemed to grow thicker. He turned his attention to the girls in their group and he realized that they were also looking in the direction that the ice mage went in with worry on their faces.

"Natsu," Wendy looked up at him expectantly, "Did Gray mention anything to you when we were walking to the hotel?"

He looked at the blunette with a coy look,

"I'm guessing you overheard our conversation; eh Wendy?"

The sky dragon slayer blushed,

"I just heard him say that he was having night terrors; I didn't mean to listen in…I'm sorry."

Erza grabbed onto Natsu's forearm,

"Gray's having night terrors? I thought he was over those."

"He stared having some before he went on this mission," He shrugged his shoulders, "He said that it was probably because of what happened up in this area with his parents and Ur."

"Is he going to be okay though?" Lucy asked as she chewed on her lip, "He doesn't look well at all."

"That's because he's been Claimed."

The four mages froze at the sound of the unexpected voice. They slowly turned towards the check-in counter to see an old man that was only a few inches taller than Gramps himself. Natsu scowled at the old man and fought the urge to douse his hands in flames.

"Who the hell are you old man?" He narrowed his eyes dangerously, "And what are you jabbering on about?"

"I'm merely telling you that your ice devil friend has been Claimed."

Natsu felt his insides freeze, just like the day Gray's father Silver had frozen him solid. Before he could even react, Erza had a sword in her hand and the silver blade was pointing at the old man's throat. He could feel Lucy shifting her hands towards her keys and Wendy summoning her support magic. Natsu could feel the itch along his skin as his fire magic screamed at him to set it loose, but he couldn't do it yet; he couldn't afford to lose control.

"How did you know about that?" Erza demanded her eyes boring holes into the old man's head.

The old man raised an eyebrow and twirled his white beard in his fingers,

"I'm nearly as old as this village child; so I know of the people in it and the way that they function into their day to day activities."

"Okay," Lucy raised an eyebrow, "How does that relate to how you know about Gray's magic?"

"I was getting to that young celestial mage," The old man smiled toothily, "As I was saying, I know the people of this town and I know when strangers enter the town and take advantage of Hielo's sacred power; the power to unseal demons."

"But," Wendy whispered, "Gray-san isn't a demon; he's a devil slayer…"

Natsu frowned as he stared at the old man when his eyes widened in comprehension,

"It's like the dragon slayers, isn't it."

The old man barked a laugh,

"That's insightful of you; I have a feeling you don't show this side of you often."

Lucy was staring at Natsu unblinkingly,

"I wasn't even aware that he had this side to him."

Natsu glared at the blonde mage in hurt; he may act oblivious, but he did have a brain damnit! His gaze shifted over to Erza who still had her blade pointed to the old man's throat while the old man was just sitting there as if they were conversing over tea. The red headed mage stared at the old man for a moment before lowering her weapon.

"There aren't any bandits in this town are there?"

The old man shook his head,

"Well, they're bandits in a sense; they steal the humanity of those by forcefully awakening the demon that lies dormant within their slaying magic. Your friend is not the first that this happened to and he will not be the last; that is why I made a request to have Fairy Tail come here. However, I was no aware that there was a devil slayer in your guild or that he would be the one that would come on this quest."

The group was silent as they took in the old man's words; the only thing going through Natsu's head at this moment was the Gray was in trouble. The dragon slayer's nose twitched instinctively and the scent of rot and fear immediately swallowed his senses. Without hesitation, Natsu turned on his heel and ran towards the stairs that led towards their rooms; that would lead him to Gray.

"Natsu-san!" Wendy yelled breathlessly, "Wait, you can't go alone!"

"Like hell I can't," He said quickly, "We need to hurry; something isn't right…what room is ours?"

"213 I believe," She said as she caught up with him, "Erza-san and Lucy-san are keeping an eye on the old man and asking him more questions."

"Sounds good!"

When Natsu reached the second floor, he engulfed his body in the flames that he was suppressing and charged at their bedroom door sending it flying off its hinges. His honey eyes immediately landed on the bed where a thick black fog was starting to surround Gray's body. He ran towards the bed; he had to get to the ice princess before whatever that was attacked.

"Get the hell away from him!" He snarled as he dove at the black fog.

He growled as he passed right through it, but he latched onto Gray's unconscious body and pulled him off the bed and towards the door. Although he couldn't tell by touching him, Natsu was pretty sure that the ice mage was running a fever; if the sweat that was pouring off him was anything to go by. He threw one of Gray's limp arms over his shoulder wrapped a hand around his shirtless waist and the other behind his knees. His nose crinkled as the smell of rot got more intense.

"Wendy," He growled as he ran towards the door, "We have to leave now."

The blunette nodded her head and started to follow him out the door only to run into what felt like a wall. Natsu stumbled backwards under Gray's added weight, but managed to keep himself standing. He glared at the supposedly open doorway only to curse under his breath as runes started to float across the opening.

"N-Natsu-san…" Wendy whispered worriedly.

"What is it Wendy?"

"Gray-san's arm," She stared at the ice mage; eyes wide, "It's…it's turning _black_."

The dragon slayer felt the world drop from underneath him as he looked down at the ice mage's arm and noticed that it was indeed turning black. The same black that overtook his body when he half-demonized himself to protect the both of them from Mard Geer's _memento mori_ and the same black that danced across his skin when he infiltrated the Avatar guild.

"Don't worry," The dragon slayer tried to ease her thoughts, "This has happened before, Gray can control it; he's going to be fine."

"Ha," A deep voice said from the other side of the room, "Your friend is far from _fine_ , in fact, his journey has only just begun."

Natsu tightened his hold on Gray and backed up towards the sealed door; Wendy close behind him.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"My name is Giuseppe Grimaldi," The stranger announced arrogantly, "And who are you?"

The pinkette's glared at the man as he appeared from the fog that was once floating above Gray's bed. The man had graying dark hair and harrowing yellow eyes; Natsu couldn't tell his age, not that it mattered. What did matter was that the smell of rot that clung to the man's body like a cloak; the smell that had been stalking Gray.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel," The dragon slayer responded defensively, "and I'm a member of Fairy Tail."

Grimaldi's yellow eyes glinted,

"From Fairy Tail huh? So, Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail, why would such a strong and bright guild like yours harbour such a creature as the one you are holding?"

The dragon slayer barred his teeth as he felt the palms of his hands heating once more,

"Gray is not a _creature_ you asshat! He's just as human as we are."

The man laughed loudly; his hands grasped around his middle. Natsu felt Wendy press close to him; her figure shaking slightly as she watched the insane man. He felt his stomach churn as he noticed that the black skin that was once on Gray's forearm had slowly started to spread up his shoulder; what was this man hoping to accomplish by awakening the demon that supposedly lied dormant inside of the ice mage?!

"Human," Grimaldi wiped a fake tear from his eye, "You seriously think that _thing_ is human; I know what demon this vessel houses and it's one of the most dangerous in existence. _Absolute Zeroth_ the ice devil; the very reason why the forbidden magic Iced Shell was even created."

Natsu felt his chest tighten at the mention of the very spell that had claimed the life of Gray's teacher and had nearly claimed Gray's as well. The dragon wanted to laugh; this was irony at its finest…painful irony. Natsu shifted his grip on Gray and lifted his eyes to the man standing in front of him again.

"If the demon is the most dangerous of them all," He hissed, "Then why the hell are you trying to unseal it?!"

"You really are dense aren't you," Grimaldi shook his head, "I awaken the demons so I can kill them; I won't let something like Deliora happen to this continent ever again!"

 _Deliora_.

Again with that damned demon; would it never leave Gray alone? He opened his mouth to tell the asshole in front of him where to shove it, but was cut off when he felt a presence appear behind him; a presence that wasn't welcome.

"Wendy!" He shouted to get her attention only for the girl to scream as she was forcefully pushed down to the floor by one of the men that appeared behind them.

Natsu whipped around to head butt the other who was trying to grab onto him only to feel the man kick at the back of his knees in mid turn; quickly sending Natsu to his knees. The dragon slayer cursed and inhaled to at least try and perform a Fire Dragon's Roar only for the man in charge of handling him to wrap his elbow around his neck and cut off his airways. He choked as the man put pressure on his trachea and tried to head butt him anyway only for him to be distracted by Grimaldi grabbing onto Gray and pulling him out of his lax arms.

"No!" He choked, "Give him back! Give him back to me!"

"I will return him to you Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail," Grimaldi smiled as the dark fog started to swim around both him and Gray, "I'll return him once he is pure once more; though he might not be in the state that you would want him to be."

"No!" He spat as he tried to gasp for air; his vision slowly starting to turn black, "Gray! Wake up!"

"Until next time…" Grimaldi's voice was starting to become distorted and so very distant.

"You…damn ice princess…wake up…damnit…" The pinkette gasped as he finally started to slump to the ground, "GRAY!"

Suddenly, instead of the black that he expected to greet him, he swallowed by a bright blue light. Natsu took in a big breath of air as his airways became free. He massaged his throat and coughed as he felt the air drop drastically in the room. There was a loud shattering sound that prompted him to look behind him; the runes on the doorway had been shattered…but how?

"Natsu, Gray, Wendy!"

The dragon slayer's eyes widened when he saw Lucy, Erza and the old man from before running through the now unsealed door; however, he didn't like the expressions that had spread across their faces. Erza, the mighty Titania, had gone as white as a sheet; her normally stern gaze turned to outright disbelief and simmering rage. Lucy had a hand over her mouth as she slowly collapsed to her knees to help Wendy who was also still gasping for breath. The old man looked grave; as if the end of the world had descended upon them.

Natsu slowly turned his head to what he assumed to be the source of their fear and apprehension; he almost felt his internal fire extinguish with what he saw. Spikes of ice were sprouting off the walls; there wasn't a spot that wasn't covered in ice. He glanced around the room and he swallowed when he noticed the bodies of the men who attacked Natsu and Wendy staked against the wall behind them. Grimaldi, the man who started it all, was cowering underneath a table that was in the corner of their room; his body also covered in fragmented ice shards, though none managed to pierce his skin.

His heart pounded in his chest as his palms started to heat up on instinct. Standing in the middle of the room was none other than Gray, but he was once again in the form that he took when he and Natsu had fought the master of Tartaros. His raven hair stayed as dark as ever though ice seemed to cling to the strands and the right side of his body had become demonized. However, what worried Natsu was the murderous glint in Gray's now red right eye, while his familiar droopy blue was hazy and dead-like.

"Gray?" He called out to his friend tensely.

The half-demon standing in front of him didn't respond; he only stood in the centre of the room staring at him…hell, Natsu didn't even know if Gray was staring at _him_. This was completely different from last time. The last time, the ice mage still had his wits about himself and was able to communicate with Natsu perfectly…but now it didn't seem that that was likely.

"Natsu," Erza whispered from behind him; hand prepared to start her requip, "What happened?"

"That yellow eyed bastard under the table tried to take Gray and nearly succeeded," Natsu stated evenly as he called his flames to his hands, "I thought waking him up would stop the demonization process."

"Clearly that didn't work." Lucy squeaked as she grabbed onto one of her keys, "We have to do something though; does anyone have any ideas?"

Some part of Natsu wanted to agree with her, but something didn't seem right to him. Even if Gray wasn't acting like himself, he wasn't causing them any harm either.

"But, if Gray-san is half-demon," Wendy asked, "Why isn't he attacking? I don't sense any ill-will from him; maybe he's going to be alright."

"I have the answer to that if you're curious."

Natsu turned his head to face the old man and he noticed that he had a strangely calm expression on his face:

"It seems that Mr. Fullbuster and his demon have come to a bit of an understanding," He tilted his head, "I don't know how, but I think he changed to _protect_ instead of _destroy_ ; how extraordinary. This hasn't happened before."

"That's the most bullshit that I've heard in my entire life." Grimaldi spat as he pushed himself to his feet, "Demons weren't created to protect; they were created to end anything remotely smaller than them…and that's why, I'm going to solve this before it becomes a problem! Zeroth will not walk Earthland again; I will not take that chance!"

Natsu knew what Grimaldi was going to do as soon as he moved. The dragon slayer rushed forward as the dark fog user started towards the catatonic demon standing in front of him. As Natsu went to dive for the mage, Grimaldi instantaneously transformed into fog causing Natsu to land flat on his face; the dragon slayer cursed under his breath and pushed himself to his feet only to see that the dark fog had once again engulfed Gray's body.

"No!" He shouted desperately, "Get away from him!"

"I'll make quick work of him," Erza's dark voice reached his ears, "Requip!"

However, instead of feeling the somewhat oppressing aura of the Queen of the Fairies' magic…Natsu felt _nothing_.

"What the heck?!" Lucy screeched, "I can't use my keys either!"

"His dark magic seems very versatile," The old man stated ominously, "And that includes inhibiting your magical control."

Natsu shot his gaze towards his hands and realized that his flames had extinguished without him knowing.

"Do not worry Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail," Grimaldi chuckled darkly, "I'll return your friend after he is purified."

"Come back here, you bastard!" Natsu roared as he ran towards the catatonic Gray and the dark fog.

He had to save the ice block…he had to save his friend before it was too late. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Gray didn't live through this mission. He reached forward in an attempt to pull Gray out of the fog only for the ice mage to disappear like a mirage from underneath his fingertips. Natsu flailed through the now vacant space and ran into the wall causing a huge crack to sound around the room.

"No…" He whispered as his knees caved in on him and he slid to the floor, "He's gone."

"Natsu-san," Wendy whispered consolingly.

"He slipped right through my fingers," The dragon slayer stared at his now trembling hands, "Dark magic or not, I'm going to take that yellow eyed bastard down! He'll pay for messing with Fairy Tail!"

Natsu heard Erza's knuckles crack from the other side of the room,

"Of course; we didn't spend a year a part to be separated like this. We will bring Gray back through any means necessary."

"But," Lucy stated as she held onto her keys tightly, "How do we fight against a wizard who can affect the flow of our magic."

Natsu grit his teeth,

"I already said that I don't care about that."

"Well you should!" The blonde told him sternly, "We can't get Gray back without a solid plan!"

"Didn't you hear the bastard?!" The dragon slayer hissed impatiently, "He's going to kill the ice for brains if we don't hurry up."

Natsu flinched slightly at his own tone; especially when he noticed how Lucy stepped even farther away from him. He wasn't usually like this; he wasn't one to freak out over these situations, he left that up to Lucy and the other members of the guild. But this was about Gray; his rival, his best friend, and his most important person. He believed in the ice mage with his entire being, but he feared (yes, _feared_ ) that Gray might not be able to pull out of this one on his own.

And that worried him; though he wouldn't be the first to admit it…though he's probably shown it plenty of times already.

"That's enough," Erza glared at the two of them, "Now is not the time for the two of you to be fighting; one of our dear friend's lives are at stake."

"Erza-san's right," Wendy nodded her head in agreement, "But I also agree with Lucy-san; we need to make sure we can defeat Grimaldi so that we can bring Gray-san back home with us unharmed."

"Well," The old man scoffed as he stroked his long beard, "You might not have to worry about that if Grimaldi manages to full awaken your friend."

"What do you mean by that Josef?" Lucy inquired with a furrowed brow.

The old man, now known as Josef closed his eyes thoughtfully:

"Mr. Fullbuster's ice devil slayer magic derives from the ice demon Zeroth correct?"

Natsu nodded his head slowly,

"At least that's what that bastard said; he said that it was the most dangerous demon to ever live in the Northern Continent."

Josef looked as if he considered the response before he commented. When Natsu had first met the old man, he knew that he was as wise as Gramps and for as long as he spoke to him in the lobby, he seemed to have lived for a long time. Josef pursed his lips as he contemplated his answer.

"Although that is true; it is not the most pressing matter," He conceded, "The ice devil Zeroth was actually born in this very village; before it became a village of course."

"Really?" Wendy's eyes widened in disbelief, "What does that mean for Gray-san, oji-san?"

"It means that Mr. Fullbuster might succumb to the demon completely with no hope of regaining his senses; even if you were to save him from Grimaldi's 'purification'."

Natsu grabbed Josef's shirt and pulled him so close that their personal bubbles collided,

"What the hell do you mean by that?!"

Josef frowned sadly,

"I think that you know what it means Mr. Dragneel, even if you don't wish to accept it as the truth."

Lucy gulped from beside Erza,

"Are you saying that even if we manage to stop this Grimaldi person, Gray might not survive anyway?"

The fact that Josef would not deign her with answer was enough. Natsu released the old man just before his hands combusted into flames once more. He glared at the fire that now covered his hands in betrayal; why couldn't they work earlier? Instead of saving his friend, all he could do was watch as Gray was taken away from them. It was if the year they all spent apart didn't matter; he didn't feel any stronger than he did a year ago…he was still losing the people he cared about.

"Oji-san," Wendy blinked at the old man, "Is there a way we could save Gray-san from losing himself to the demon once it becomes fully awakened?"

"No," He shook his head resolutely, "Not that I've heard of."

Natsu felt the anger welling up in him at the man's blatant denial of a solution before he felt someone's gaze on him. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Josef was staring at him for some reason. He raised an eyebrow at the man's stare, but shook it off when he was certain that the old man was messing with him.

"Either way," Erza folded her arms across her chest, "It is our mission to stop this Grimaldi character from destroying this village and from ending the lives of devil slayers who did nothing to harm the villagers or anyone else in their travels."

"You're right," Lucy nodded her head in determination, "We need to find where our baddie plans on having his ritual."

"Natsu-san and I could probably sniff him out," Wendy offered, "But the cold and the wind might interfere with that."

The pinkette glanced at the old man who was mysteriously silent,

"I'm willing to bet that you know exactly where they are headed old man."

Josef smiled brightly and winked at the dragon slayer,

"You bet I do and I can even take you right to their doorstep."

"What do you mean?" Erza demanded, "Do you know of a short cut?"

"It's better if I just show you."

Before any of them could ask him anymore questions, Josef stood in the center of their little group and through his arms towards the ceiling of their room. A large, yellow magic circle sprung underneath their feet and started to spin in a circular motion; just staring at it made Natsu's stomach turn nauseously. He stared at each of his friends in turn he noticed that they were just as apprehensive as he was sick.

"Transport: Locus Maximus!"

As a bright light engulfed his vision and his stomach heaved he thought of only one thing.

FTFTFTFT

Natsu heaved as the ground stopped spinning from underneath his feet. Through his sickness, the scent of pine and snow reached his senses letting him now that they were now, most likely standing in the middle of a forest. He swallowed back the bile that rose to the forefront of his throat and raised his head to take in his surroundings only to see that he, Josef and the girls were standing in the middle of an ambush. His eyes narrowed as he turned towards the man who had inherently betrayed them to see that he was barely standing upright.

"It…it seems that I've overshot us for a bit," He wiped the sweat off his wrinkled forehead, "I apologize for my carelessness."

The dragon slayer relaxed at the old man's apology and he smiled,

"It's okay old man; now we can ask these idiots to take us to their 'master' and if they don't they'll be our warm up."

Erza smiled as she took in the adversaries,

"I have to agree with you Natsu; I was getting a little frustrated earlier, what better way than to use these men as a stress reliever."

The pinkette chuckled as a bright red light swallowed Erza whole only to disappear and show her in her Purgatory armour. It seemed as though the great Titania was all for ending this quickly. He ignited his hands and punched his knuckles together causing a wave heat to push against the enemy forces.

Lucy pulled a key out and smiled nervously,

"I think Loke wouldn't mind getting a piece of these guys too; Natsu, why don't you go find Gray while we take care of these bozos!"

Natsu smiled in return,

"I'll leave it up to you guys; Wendy, are you coming or are you going to hang back here?"

"I'm with you Natsu-san," She nodded her head in determination, "Plus, I want to help Gray-san if he needs it."

The dragon slayer grunted,

"Sounds like a plan and what about you old man?"

"I'd like to see how this turns out," Josef revealed, "I'll help in any way that I am able."

"Alright," Natsu smirked draconically at the men who started to push towards them, "I'm all fired up!"

He ran right into the group of men with his flaming fists hitting anyone he could reach. He was mildly conscious of Wendy using her Vernier spell on him in order to help his movements. He shouted at her in thanks before inhaling through his mouth and bringing his hands to his lips.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

His opponents screamed in pain as his flames hit them. He jumped over the falling bodies as his nose picked up on the now tainted scent of the ice mage. His skin crawled from how strong the scent of rot had gotten since he had seen Gray only moments ago; he had to get to him before the bastard sealed his fate.

"We won't let you near our Master," A random enemy stated, "You won't interfere with his goal to save the world from demons like Deliora."

"There's one problem asswipe," Natsu spat as he flapped his hands behind him, "Gray isn't a demon; Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

The annoying bastard was still standing after his attack, but that was rectified by Lucy donned in her Leo constellation outfit with Loke fighting by her side. His eyes connected at the celestial spirit and the two nodded at each other in understanding; the lion would leave it up to him to save their friend. Lucy winked at him as he ran passed though he didn't really understand why.

He could hear the sounds of defeat from behind him as Erza took down another group of men with a swing of her Purgatory sword; her battle cry echoing through him as he pushed forward. He was proud Wendy too who was keeping up with him and using her wind attacks to take out the men that Natsu might have missed in his one man rampage. As a team, they would save Gray…as a team they would bring the ice bastard back home.

Natsu cared too much about him to leave him behind.

He ignited his left and right hand in flames and clapped them over his head; his eyes shining viciously at his last wall of attackers:

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

An explosion shook the snow covered ground while the nearest pine trees were nearly torn from the ground from the impact. He ran so quickly that he could feel his flames burning at his heels as he plowed through the treeline and entered the clearing beyond the one that they had initially landed in. The full moon hung high in the sky while its bright beams brushed against the mostly untouched snow to make it resemble diamonds. Had it been any other day, Natsu might have actually been able to acknowledge the beauty of the landscape, but at this moment he found that he couldn't.

For at this moment, his honey eyes were drawn to the wear the moon's light cast a magic circle in the center of the clearing. Gray, who still seemed to be in his catatonic state was strapped to some sort of contraption in the middle of the circle. As he took in the intricacy of the circle, Natsu knew that he had not seen magic so complex in his life.

"Natsu Dragneel," Grimaldi called out to him from his position behind the trapped ice mage, "It seems that I have underestimated your desperation."

The dragon slayer scowled at the yellow eyed man angrily,

"Enough of this bullshit, just let him go before I beat you to a bloody pulp!"

Grimaldi rolled his eyes and ignored him seamlessly,

"Have you ever experienced the magical power of the moon? If it weren't for my _comrades_ , there was no way I would've been able to complete it; there's only one thing that can awake a demon from its slumber and this village known as Hielo has the answer."

Wendy clenched her fists at her side,

"What do you mean by that?"

"Good question my dear child," Grimaldi smiled toothily, "The answer is simple; Hielo is a rare village indeed for its land has the ability to absorb moonlight."

Natsu felt a chill sweep down his spine as he realized what the insane man in front of him was implying. There was no way that this could be happening here; he thought that Galuna Island was the only island that had the ability to collect the light of the moon.

"You're talking about the Moon Drip."

"Ah," Grimaldi smiled at Josef, "You know your spells old man and as you should know that it is through this spell that we find retribution for all the villages that have been destroyed by demons. It is through the Moon Drip that we are able to awaken the demons hiding in these vessels and vanquish them!"

"Over my dead body you'll do that," Josef threated imposingly, "Summoning Zeroth of all demons is a mistake; that demon won't be detained by that contraption you have that boy chained up in, even if it is laced with anti-devil magic. You'll put innocent lives at risk; including the life of Mr. Fullbuster!"

Grimaldi cackled as he stared up at the light of the moon as it inched closer and closer to the catatonic Gray,

"I will save this village, but peace does not come without a few sacrifices."

Natsu smashed his fists together,

"And you plan on sacrificing my ice princess? I don't think so!"

Without giving Grimaldi a chance to react, Natsu pushed his flames into heels once more and sped towards the darkness user. He angled his head downward and slammed his forehead into Grimaldi's solar plexus causing the bastard to gasp out as he flew into a nearby tree. Not hesitating in the slightest, Natsu pulled a flaming fist backwards and struck Gray's kidnapper in the face prompting his skull to crack the bark of the tree he was forced against.

"Your ice princess huh?" Grimaldi spat at the ground, "I don't give a damn what you call him; I'll purify him if it's the last thing I do!"

Grimaldi shoved his shoulder into Natsu's adam's apple making the dragon slayer grunt and fall away from the darkness user. Once again, he found tendrils of dark fog sucking the flames off his body and usurping his control over his magic. He was not going to let this bastard win; with or without magic he was going to kill the bastard!

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Instinctively, Natsu dropped onto his stomach as a tornado of wind brushed through his pink hair and struck Grimaldi in the chest and away from Natsu. The pinkette could still feel the fog leeching on his magic, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. He shot a thumbs up towards the younger dragon slayer and smiled toothily.

"Way to go Wendy! You just saved my ass!"

"Not a problem Natsu-san," She said as she ran up beside him, "We're not going to let this guy win; oji-san is going to try and get Gray-san out of the anti-devil magic contraption while we distract Grimaldi."

Natsu nodded his head in understanding,

"Right, we'll leave Gray to the old man!"

He ran towards Grimaldi once more who was getting to his feet while holding his head. Natsu smirked as he once again felt his magic roar to life in his body. Natsu closed his eyes for a brief moment and tapped into the power that lingered precariously close to his own. He once again found himself inhaling deeply as his hands were placed in front of his lips; there was no way the bastard was getting up from this one.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"

A stream of lightning and fire came shooting out of his mouth towards the dark mage. Natsu saw fear shine in the man's eyes for a second before Grimaldi raised his hands in front of him as if he was pushing against a wall.

"Dark Syphoner!"

Natsu growled as his magic was redirected towards the treeline and struck down a group of trees in the process. The dragon slayer called his magic to him once more prepared to continue his onslaught of attacks only for the ground to quake underneath his feet. His stomach churned ominously at the movement, but the sickness that was starting within him seemed to dissipate when he felt a familiar hand on his forearm.

"Thank you Wendy." He sighed in relief.

The girl smiled brightly at his praise,

"It's for moments like this that I don't use Troia on you when we go on the train."

"Yeah, Yeah…"

His response was cut short by the ground shaking once more and a loud roar tearing through the sky. Natsu felt his blood freeze in his veins as he turned towards the old man and the trapped ice mage. Despite Josef's efforts, Gray didn't fully make it out of the circle before the Moon Drip reached him. His stomach dropped as the remainder of Gray's body turned black and blueish veins had appeared on his skin. The ice mage turned demon sluggishly pushed himself to his feet and tilted his face towards the moon; a guttural roar echoing throughout the night when Gray had opened his mouth.

"Oh no," Wendy covered her mouth in fear, "We were too late."

"No," Natsu denied with a shake of his head, "Don't say that; we can still get him out of this."

Grimaldi limped over to the magic circle and cackled,

"You're delusional if you think that wretch can still be saved; leave this _monster_ to me."

The dragon slayer growled as his fire and lightning magic surrounded him,

"He isn't a monster and even if he was, you're the one who made him that way."

Suddenly, the air around them descended to even colder temperatures; if Natsu wasn't a fire mage he would've probably been frozen stiff. He shot a worried glance towards Wendy and noticed that the younger dragon slayer had pressed herself as closely as she could to his side. He shot a glance towards the cause of all this and saw to his delight that Grimaldi was barely able to stay standing. Natsu found himself remembering the old man belatedly and was blown away to see him staring at Gray with a glint in his eye; not even bowing to the cold that the ice mage turn demon had given off.

Natsu tensed as the demonized ice mage turned towards them; a hungry look in his blood red gaze. Natsu prepared himself as the ice mage inhaled before unleashing a thunderous roar that shook the trees and the very land they stood on. The pinkette pulled Wendy to the ground as shards of ice came flying towards them like a barrage of bullets.

"Oi Gray!" He shouted furiously, "Watch where you're aiming that thing!"

The ice mage merely growled and swung his arm out to the side causing icicles to sprout from the ground in a large chain towards them. Natsu hurriedly brought his own hands to his lips and released another Fire Dragon's Roar in an attempt to fight back. Natsu cursed when he discovered that it wasn't enough and was prepared to accept that he lost that face off when he was pushed backwards by Erza in her Ice Empress armour with a massive shield held in front of all four of them.

"Erza-san!" Wendy chirped, "I'm glad you're alright!"

"Good to see that you're well Wendy, you too Natsu," Erza threw away her destroyed shield and her knees shook as she stood upright, "But from the look of things, Gray is not."

"Erza, Natsu, Wendy!" Lucy called out as she and Loke joined them, "Are you guys alright, that was a hard hit."

"I'm fine," The red head shook it off, "As for Gray…"

The ice mage roared again and trees suffered his wrath. Natsu tried to think of a way to stop the ice mage before he did something that he would regret. He knew that if Gray did something to any of them while under the control of Zeroth, he would blame himself. His eyes glinted as something silver requipped into Grimaldi's hand. The yellow eyed man smiled at the dragon slayer as seemed to realize that he would not get to Gray before Natsu go to him.

As the pinkette was about to pounce onto Grimaldi, the dark fog user threw the knife like a dart; the blade piercing right into Gray's side without him even realizing. For a moment, everything was still, before the world erupted into chaos. From the point of impact, dark red flames erupted from Gray's side sending guttural screams into the shivering night. As the flames started to engulf the ice demon that was once his best friend shards of ice started to explode around the ground.

Natsu grabbed the front of Grimaldi's jacket,

"What did you do to him?!"

Grimaldi smiled,

"I'm saving him…I'm saving _everyone_."

"You've made a mistake Grimaldi," Josef pointed a boney finger at the man in Natsu's grip, "You have doomed all of Hielo, not saved it!"

Erza stepped in front of the old man in her ice empress armour as she blocked an ice attack,

"What are you talking about Josef?"

"As I have told you before, Zeroth the ice devil originated in this very village," Josef stated seriously: "Before there was a village, there was Zeroth the ice devil and it wasn't until an ice mage managed to tame this ice devil and bind him to slayer magic that this village was able to be born."

"What shit are you spouting, you crazy old fool?!" Grimaldi spat.

"I'm saying that it was a Fullbuster that tamed Zeroth all that millennia ago and that is why his brand of ice devil slaying magic can only be passed on from father to son." Josef stated darkly, "And you Giuseppe may have just killed the only vessel strong enough to tame the Absolute ice demon."

Natsu couldn't really absorb what was being said; it wasn't the time for a history lesson anyways. However, what did catch his attention was the fact that the old man had said that Gray was _dying_. He was not going to let that happen. Fairy Tail had just gotten back together, after a year of separation they were finally all back together, and there was no way he was going to go back to their home without Gray by his side.

He _needed_ Gray by his side!

With resounding punch to Grimaldi's face, Natsu jumped off the man who started this all and ran towards the ice mage who was now writhing on the ground in agony as the red fire seemed to eat away at his blackened skin. His nose immediately picked out the scent of blood above Gray's hip and found the knife that was stuck in his side.

"Old man!" He looked at Josef, "Is it safe for me to eat this fire?"

"Of course it is," Josef played with his beard, "The fire is pure after all and if I'm not mistaken, it'll be the only way you'll save Mr. Fullbuster."

Natsu didn't need to hear anything else; he immediately inhaled through his mouth and the flames started to dance along his tongue and go down his throat. They kind of had a funny taste to them, but it didn't matter; all that mattered was that he had to put the fire out. The more flames he managed to get into his belly, the more the blade in his hand started to shift. He flinched as another roar of pain tore from the ice mage's throat; more ice sprouting around the room as the demon fought against the flames.

"Gray," Natsu paused as he tried to catch his breath, "It's going to be okay, you're going to be okay; but you can't fight _me_ when I'm trying to help!"

The dragon slayer yanked on the knife and pulled it came sliding out of Gray's body as the last of the flames died on the ice mage's skin. Wendy immediately ran over as the blade was thrown to the side. Without hesitation she placed her hands over Gray's wound and a green light swallowed her hands. Natsu was about to relax when the green light stuttered and died.

"Wendy," He stared at the sky dragon slayer, "What's happening?"

The blunette bit her lip and tried to summon her healing,

"I…I don't know…Gray-san just isn't healing!"

Natsu cursed under his breath and wiped towards Grimaldi who was being guarded by Loke,

"You! Tell me why Gray isn't healing; what the hell did you do to him?!"

The yellow eyed mage spat blood on the ground and grinned triumphantly,

"The knife purifies the demon by taking out the demon's life force; I guess it was in long enough to have lasting effects."

"You bastard!"

He suddenly heard a sob break from Wendy causing him to turn his head towards her in worry. Her hands were trembling as she pushed her hands harder into Gray's wound as she _forced_ her magic to respond to her. But no matter how much she tried, nothing seemed to happen. Her hands slackened as more blood covered her small fingers; her eyes closed as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"No Natsu-san, don't…" She whispered; her lips quivering, "It's Gray-san…his heart…"

That's when he heard it; it was getting slower…

"Don't you dare do this ice block!" Natsu yelled as he grabbed onto Gray's shoulders, "Don't you dare give up on me! I believe in you, so fight it; goddamn you Gray Fullbuster, FIGHT!"

He could hear Lucy breaking down in the background…

"We're here for you! We're waiting for you!" He roared as his hands slipped off Gray's shoulders and wrapped around his torso instead, "We're waiting for you so we can go home! Even if I have to pick you up and drag you there; I'm bringing you back home!"

He buried his head into Gray's hair; the rotting scent that had been following him for days had finally disappeared. His heart was descending into silence second by second. He quickly laid the ice mage on the ground once more and placed his too warm hands on the ice mage's chest. The blackened tough skin was still receding, but he managed to find a spot where Gray's skin had returned to normal. He pushed down on Gray's chest as he tried to keep the ice mage's heart beating under his fingers.

He heard Erza's armoured footsteps coming towards him, but he ignored her; he wouldn't give up on Gray yet…he couldn't give up on him!

He hastily tilted Gray's head back and used one of his hands to plug his nose. Natsu forced back the rush of embarrassment that he felt and leaned down to press his lips against Gray's. He exhaled into the ice mage's mouth in an attempt to get Gray's breathing to regulate; it was starting to fade too. He breathed for Gray three times, then pressed on his chest three times…

Breathe three times…

Press three times…

Breathe three times…

Press three times…

Natsu leaned back on his knees as he realized that what he was doing wasn't working. His chest clenched as he raised a trembling hand towards the ice mage's face and tangled a hand in his raven locks. The dragon slayer cursed under his breath as his eyes started to burn. His eyes wandered to the scar that rested on Gray's forehead…the scar that he had received during their mission on Galuna Island; that seemed so long ago now. Despite the fact that his friends were around him, Natsu slumped forward and rested his heated forehead against Gray's cool one.

Though, it was even colder than normal.

"I know you feel like letting go ice princess," He whispered, "But I won't let you…I'll pick you up even if you don't want me to; I'm not going back without you…please Gray come back…even if you feel like you don't have a home; then I'll be your home…you're not alone. I make sure of that…so don't leave me alone too…"

He felt Erza put a hand on his shoulder, but he kept his head bowed:

"Natsu…"

"Stop being a lazy ass, you damn exhibitionist!" Natsu shouted one last time as he turned his tear ridden eyes towards the moon that hung in the sky, "GRAY!"

FTFTFTFT

Gray opened his eyes and found himself having to shut them again.

He groaned under his breath and rubbed his eyes exhaustedly; how long had he been asleep for? He slowly pushed himself upwards so he could get out of bed and find the others, only for him to cringe in pain as something like hot pokers trailed up his side. He pulled his blanket down and frowned as he noticed that his midsection was swathed in bandages and he had random small bandages all over his body; what in the hell happened.

He glanced around himself and his eyes immediately fell on the myriad of bodies that lay around the room. Erza was sitting on the floor next to the door with one of her swords resting in her lap. He knew that even though she looked asleep, that if she heard the slightest noise she would wake up with her sword swinging; not caring who she was swinging at. His gaze then found Lucy who was curled up next to Wendy on the double bed beside him and his eyebrows furrowed that both of them looked bruised and dusty. But what surprised him the most was that Natsu was sitting in a chair right next to his bed with his body slumped forward and his head resting on the bed.

"What happened here?"

He clutched his forehead as blurry thoughts passed through his mind like a movie reel. There was just so much darkness and everything was so cold…colder than what even he could handle. His heart thudded in his chest as he faintly recognized the feeling from after he woke up from his night terrors. He glanced down at his right arm and rubbed his hand against it as if it was in pain. He remembered it stinging slightly before he went to bed the night before and he wasn't feeling too well either…but seemed to have happened, something big.

"Mr. Fullbuster it seems you have finally awoken."

Gray nearly jumped out of his skin as his head whipped towards the unfamiliar voice. Sitting at the slightly broken table (when did that happen?) with his arms carefully folded in his lap and soft smile on his face. He looked at the stranger in confusion, but couldn't help but find himself relaxing. If his teammates can relax with the old man in here, then he should be able to as well.

Or so he hoped.

"Yeah," He shrugged his shoulders and winced, "I guess...uh…I know this might seem weird, but who are you and what are you doing in our room?

The old man laughed,

"You can call me Josef and I am the one who requested Fairy Tail's presence in Hielo."

Gray rubbed the back of his neck,

"I see…"

Josef smiled at Gray's inherent discomfort which caused the ice mage to scowl. Why was this guy so happy? He took in his wounded form once more and assumed that they completed the quest; though he couldn't remember doing so…which made his stomach churn.

"Do…" He closed his eyes for a moment; embarrassed at having to admit this, "Do you know what happened during the mission? I'm kind of drawing a blank."

Josef nodded his head solemnly,

"That is understandable Mr. Fullbuster; you weren't yourself for the entirety of it."

The raven frowned at the vagueness of the response,

"Well, I guess I was sick…but…"

"No," The old man cut him off immediately, "It was not an illness; not an ordinary one in any case. Tell me Mr. Fullbuster, how much do you know about you're devil slayer magic?"

Gray stared at him blankly before coughing awkwardly; how did the old man know about his slayer magic? He didn't particularly rely on it during missions unless their enemies warranted for him to use it. Although it was a gift from his father, he preferred to use the magic that Ur taught him and occasionally mixed the two if need be. He stared at the old calculatedly but released a sigh.

"Not much to be honest; it was given to me by my father before he died." He mumbled, "I never had the chance to ask him what the magic entailed; I only wanted it so that I could fulfill his dream and become strong enough to protect my friends."

Josef's crows' feet next to his eyes crinkled slightly,

"That's a nice ambition as long as you manage to stay in control I would say."

Gray's eyes narrowed at the comment,

"I can stay in control; the old hag showed me how a little over six months ago."

He glared at the old man when he didn't say anything to him. Suddenly, Josef pushed himself to his feet and hobbled his way towards the bed. He stopped when he was a meter away from Gray and stroked his beard contemplatively once more. The ice mage didn't know what it was about the old man, but something just seemed otherworldly about him; and coming from a mage that said something.

"I'm going to show you something Mr. Fullbuster," Josef explained to him, "You might not like it and you might not want to believe it, but rest assured everything you will see happened."

"Show me?" He blinked owlishly.

"Prepare yourself," Josef smiled reassuringly, "and remember the others do not blame you for the fate that had befallen you."

Gray just watched the old man as a wrinkled hand reached for his hands. A bright yellow light engulfed their joined hands and a sharp pain laced through his forehead as images started to race through his mind. His talk with Natsu, his exhaustion, his sickness, the darkness, the cold, the need for bloodshed, the need for vengeance, the burning, the cold, the hopelessness, Natsu's voice…the light in the dark. He watched through another person's eyes as the ice demon that laid dormant within him took over his body and attacked his friends.

That's what he couldn't remember? His demon was set free and it laid siege on his comrades? On Lucy and Loke, on Erza and Wendy…on Natsu; he had tried to hurt all of them. He shot a glance towards the man who had tried to 'purify' him; the man who unleashed his inner demon. If he was truly capable of this…of losing control…he wished that Natsu had let him…

"Did you see the events that occurred while you were imprisoned?"

Gray blinked the spots out of his vision and looked at the old man who seemed even more weathered than moments before,

"I…I really attacked them?"

"Yes Mr. Fullbuster, but you must understand that it was not your fault. Do not wish death upon yourself for what had happened. Look to a time where you can hone the powers of the ice devil and create a brighter a future for you and your friends."

The raven curled his fingers into the blanket that pooled around his waist; that's all he wanted. He wanted to use his magic to create a life where he and his friends could live together; it wasn't until the mission that he took on Galuna Island that he realized that. If it wasn't for Natsu he wouldn't have learned that in order to move on from the past, he needed to face it. He closed his eyes as the images of what transpired during this mission barraged his mind; in order to get passed what happened, in order to get stronger, he had to face what he had done on this mission.

"Do not be ashamed Mr. Fullbuster," Josef stated as he squeezed onto Gray's hand, "What happened that night was not your fault. The one thing to come of this is that you found an anchor for you to hold onto if you shall find yourself lost once more."

Gray's eyebrows furrowed,

"An anchor?"

Josef smiled knowingly,

"You're lucky enough to have many close friends Mr. Fullbuster, but there is one friend that you depend on more than any other even if you don't want to admit it to yourself."

The ice mage found his tired eyes falling on Natsu causing his cheeks to heat up with embarrassment. He never did like admitting it, but the dragon slayer was truly the person that he believed in the most. He trusted Natsu with his life and he knew that the pinkette felt the same even if he didn't voice it. After all, he wouldn't have been alive today if it weren't for Natsu stopping him from using Iced Shell on Galuna.

"As long as you continue to depend on your anchor," The old man closed his eyes, "You will be able to do anything and that includes fulfilling your ambitions."

Gray chuckled under his breath,

"Thank you old man, for not knowing me very well you… _know me_."

"It is my pleasure Mr. Fullbuster," Josef smiled wider, "Now why don't you get some more rest, you seem as if you could still use it…"

Gray found his eyes slipping closed as the words trailed from Josef's mouth. He lay back so that his head rested on the pillows once more. He winced slightly when the movement pulled on his wounds (which he would have to inspect later), but let out a long breath as sleep started to tug at his mind. As his eyes started to drift closed, he saw and felt a warm light engulf the room along with an old hand touching his forehead.

"It truly was a pleasure to meet you," Josef's voice echoed, "My many times great-grandson."

But Gray thought he imagined it as he welcomed the darkness.

FTFTFTFT

When Gray woke up again the sunlight was still shining through the window, but he could tell from the orangey colour that it was starting to go down.

He went to push himself up as he did earlier only for a pair of warm hands to grab onto him. Gray's heart thudded in his chest as he jumped in surprise, though he relaxed when he realized that the person holding him still was none other than the idiot flame head. He raised an eyebrow at the dragon slayer when he noticed that his complimentary goofy smile was nowhere in sight. He sighed under his breath and looked into Natsu's shadowed honey eyes.

"Natsu…"

"Do you have any idea how close it was?" Natsu interrupted him.

Gray thought back to what Josef had shown him and nodded grimly,

"I have a clue."

The dragon slayer released his shoulders and slumped back into the chair that Gray had seen him in earlier. The ice mage couldn't help but frown as he realized how tense and worried Natsu was. Even though he had seen what Natsu had to go through because of the old man's help, he couldn't imagine what it would've been like for the dragon slayer. Especially after what happened in Ishgar; he knew Natsu wouldn't be able to handle losing anyone else. That's the main reason why the pinkette had left Magnolia in the first place; to get stronger so that no one he cared about would get hurt in front of him ever again.

It was one of the reasons why Gray had left as well.

"Natsu," He sighed, "I'm fine now; you know that."

The dragon slayer scowled,

"But you almost _weren't_ …why didn't you tell any of us about feeling sick?"

Gray's eyes widened when he realized that Wendy, Lucy and Erza weren't in the room with them anymore. He glanced around to see if he could get any sign of them; or maybe he was actually just trying to avoid the question. Seeming to understand what he was trying to do, Natsu sighed loudly and crossed his arms across his chest.

"The others went to get something to eat; they got bored of watching your sleeping ass," He smirked teasingly, "Now stop running away and answer the damn question."

The ice mage ran his hand through his hair,

"I thought I was just tired because I didn't sleep on the train ride here. I think I realized I had a fever before I fell asleep, but I passed out before I could do anything about it."

Natsu seemed to look at him as though he didn't believe him in the slightest. Of course he couldn't really blame him; the ice mage knew he was good at hiding things from his friends and he hated being fussed over…and Natsu knew this as well. Gray scowled at the thought; Natsu was being a hypocrite, the dumbass has placed himself in much more serious situations than this…

Sort of.

"It's not like I intended for this to happen flame freak." Gray argued.

"Well obviously stripper," Natsu rolled his eyes, "But maybe we could've helped you sooner if we knew that you weren't yourself."

"It turned out okay, didn't it?"

Natsu slammed his hands on the bed; his hands shrouded in flames,

"But it almost didn't! You _died_ ; your fucking heart stopped beating because you're too proud to admit that you need help! Get it through your ice filled skull that you're not alone you damn bastard!"

Gray glared at the fire mage darkly,

"The same could be said about you! You always risk your life for all of us without thinking about it!"

"That's because I want to protect all of you," The dragon slayer stressed, "You're all important to me!"

"Well you're important to me!" Gray roared, "Goddamnit you flame eating lizard! You're important to all of us and we can't lose you; _I can't lose you_!"

Their chests heaved as their anger surrounded the room in an oppressive silence. The stupid dragon slayer made him so angry sometimes! Why couldn't the dumbass understand that he was just as important as everyone else in the guild?! Why couldn't he get it through his head that people would cry if he recklessly threw away his life in order to save them?! Why couldn't he understand that he was the guiding light of Fairy Tail that led people out of their darkness?!

Why couldn't he understand that he saved him?!

Suddenly, Gray finally clued in to what he had previously yelled at Natsu. His anger quickly dissipated and an uncomfortable blush coloured his cheeks. He rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes as he released an exhausted breath.

"I mean…" He began pathetically, "It's just that…"

He felt his body heat up as he felt Natsu's hand curl around his own,

"Whether you like it or not ice princess, I can't lose you either; so it looks like we're stuck."

Gray looked up at the pinkette wide eyed for a moment before a small smile quirked against his lips. He flipped his hand over so that his knuckles now brushed the bed sheets so that he would be able to tangle his fingers with the dragon slayer's. He knew without a doubt in his mind that Natsu was his anchor; he knew without a doubt that he wouldn't be able to fulfill his father's wish without the help of Natsu and his friends. Even though he didn't want his friends to be directly involved…even though he didn't want them to get hurt…

When he looked into Natsu's burning honey eyes he knew that he wasn't alone.

And no matter how much that scared him…

It set him free too.

THE END

 **Hey Minna!**

 **I'm so sorry for the long wait! I was planning on posting this on time, but then I realized that I didn't complete the prompt properly so I ended up doubling the pages that I previously had :P I'm still not sure how I feel about this yet, but I hope you all enjoy it to some degree (even if it's practically a novel) XD**

 **This prompt was sent to me by uzukun89! I really hope that I did your prompt justice even if I went off the beaten path… :'( I really hope I didn't disappoint you! My fight scenes sucked…a lot…and my logic was a little screwy, but the story got away from me. I hope you can find something that you like about it! :)**

 **And for those who will argue that Natsu is END therefore he should've been affected, my argument (though brittle) is that he wasn't specifically targeted by Grimaldi and he wasn't touched by the Moon Drip so END couldn't awaken lol! If you don't like that explanation…we can pretend that this is a slightAU! XD**

 **Also, I am going on a day trip to look at apartments for my younger sister, I'm hoping to get my prompts caught up on the trip so cross your fingers!**

 **-sktrgrl**

 _ **And a huge thanks to those who favourited/followed/reviewed! (If there were any follows/favourites) XD I love all you guys so much and your comments help me to become a better writer! :)**_

 _ **Please note that I am still accepting prompts if you wish to submit! (Even though I'm going to fanfiction hell for being so fickle lately -.-)**_


	8. Prompt 8 - Jealousy Hotter than Fire

**Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns the magical world that is Fairy Tail! (My eternal place of happiness!) Plus a guest star/setting from the magnificent Bisco Hatori-sensei!**

 **Warnings: Language, Friendly Violence, Fluff, Potential OOC-ness, Shounen-ai/Yaoi**

"You can't be serious."

Natsu slumped on 'Team Natsu's' table in the middle of the guild as Lucy and Wendy stood in front of Gray, Happy and himself with a request held tightly in their hands. When he had heard the girls were selecting the request for them this week, he thought that they'd lean towards fighting rogue bandits in the mountains or taking down a dark guild…but of course, Lucy had to ruin that hope for them.

"Don't complain so much guys; you picked the last three missions!" The celestial mage stated incredulously with her hands on her hips.

"I didn't hear you complaining about it when you had enough jewels to pay your rent." Gray muttered petulantly as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"That's not the point! I just think that we're up for a change of pace!" Lucy waved off his response with a big smile on her face.

"A change of pace, huh?" Happy chuckled into his paw, "Are you sure you aren't just a scaredy-cat Lucy?"

The blonde scowled at the Exceed and pulled on one of his cheeks,

"I really don't want to hear that coming from you cat!"

"Wah!" Happy whined, "Natsu save me from the demon Lucy! She's going to rip my cheek off!"

"Oh be quiet," She huffed, "You're such a faker!"

"Aren't we getting a little off topic?" Gray interrupted with a scowl, "We were talking about the fact that we _weren't_ going on this mission."

Natsu nodded his head rapidly,

"I have to agree with the stripper this time around; this mission is LAME! I'm in the mood to beat the snot out of some bandits."

"Or dark mages," The raven added with a smirk.

"Or both!" The fire and ice mage said in unison.

Natsu turned towards his rival/best friend and held up his fist only for the ice mage to raise his in return. It wasn't often that they agreed on something and it wasn't often they fist-bumped, but there were some instances where it was warranted. And this time, the fist-bump was very much warranted; especially with the mission that Lucy wanted them to suffer through. The dragon slayer turned towards the celestial mage and sky dragon once more to see that Lucy's face was red with frustration and her hands were bunched into fists at her sides.

"Of all the times that you two had to agree on something, it had to be _today_?!"

"Hell yeah," Gray crossed his arms over his bare chest, "Bros band together when it counts you know."

"What he said," Natsu laughed, "Sorry Lucy, it's three against one; we're not doing the mission."

Lucy frowned,

"Doesn't Wendy have a say?! I'm pretty sure that makes it three against two and if Happy counts, so does Carla which makes the tally even!"

Natsu scoffed,

"Yeah right, Wendy would have much more fun fighting bandits or dark mages; right Wendy?"

The sky dragon slayer fidgeted under Natsu's gaze as she looked at the floor,

"Actually Natsu-san, I much rather do this mission…"

"What?!" The pinkette roared, "Lucy must have brainwashed you or something Wendy! Don't you want to get stronger?"

"Uh, of course!" Wendy nodded her head enthusiastically, "But, Lucy-san is right; this mission would be a nice break from all the fighting that we have been doing lately…"

"See!" Lucy smiled triumphantly as she wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders, "Wendy gets it!"

The fire dragon slayer glared at the table,

"I still think that you brainwashed her…"

He hissed in pain as Lucy smacked him across the back of the head. He rubbed the now sore spot rhythmically as he shared a glance with his rival. Damn, Lucy could hit him almost as hard Erza could; those two really needed to stop spending so much time together, Erza was making her violent. Natsu was pulled out of his thoughts by Gray standing up from the bench.

"Well, if you're serious about taking this request then I'm backing out," Gray shoved his hands in his pockets and went to walk away, "I'm not taking a mission that's a complete waste of time."

"Aw!" Lucy whined, "C'mon Gray! It wouldn't be the same if you didn't come!"

"I really could care less," Gray shook his head, "I'm sorry Lucy not even the threat of Erza is going to make me go on this one."

"Oh really?"

Natsu felt a familiar tingle sweep down his spine as the sound of clanking armoured footsteps reached his ears. The pinkette turned towards Gray slowly and noticed the small drops of sweat that started to drip down the ice mage's back. For all the bravado that he had just moments before, it sure disappeared fast enough. He jumped when an armoured hand clamped down on his shoulder and he felt Gray do the same beside him.

"Now boys," Erza's commandeering voice flowed over them, "Are you causing trouble over here?"

"No!" Gray shook his head frantically, "Lucy was just showing us the mission she picked out for us, right Natsu?"

Natsu swallowed thickly,

"Aye!"

"Oh?" Erza released their shoulders and walked over to where Wendy and Lucy were standing, "What request is that?"

Lucy smiled brightly at the requip mage as she all but shoved the paper into her hands. Natsu frowned as he heard the hum escape Erza's lips and caught the satisfied smirk that Lucy had just shot in their direction. Despite the fact that he was a quivering mess of anxiety, he knew that this was not going to end well for either him or Gray.

"This seems like a good mission," The red head nodded approvingly, "I think it's about time that we slowed down and took an easy one for a change; good choice Lucy."

"Not to mention that the jewel will be more than enough to cover my rent!" The blonde squealed excitedly, "And the lack of destruction won't be so bad either."

"It would definitely make the Master happy!" Wendy agreed readily.

"Yes, it seems that this mission would be the perfect fit for us."

Gray rolled his eyes,

"The three of you would be more than enough for a mission like this; I think I'm going to stay home."

"Yeah," Natsu smirked, "Hey Happy, how do you feel about going on a fishing trip?"

"Aye sir!" The Exceed flew up into the air excitedly, "You can never go wrong with fish!"

Natsu lifted himself off the bench and went to head towards the front doors with Happy, Gray not too far behind them, when he was suddenly stopped by a hand grabbing onto his ear tightly. The dragon slayer cursed loudly, fire shooting out of his mouth, as Erza started to pull both him and Gray back to the table by their ears.

"Ow!" Gray shouted from the other side of their childhood friend, "What the hell was that for Erza?!"

"Careful ice princess," Natsu winced as his ear was tugged, "We don't want to make her angry…"

"Shut up flame head!" Gray hissed, "I wasn't talking to you!"

"Now you are!" He hissed back, "Do you want to go stripper?!"

"Bring it on squinty eyes!"

"BOYS!"

The fire and ice mage stiffened simultaneously at the angered voice of their discipliner. Natsu gulped as Erza towered over him; her dark, menacing aura extinguishing any fire power he had in him. The requip mage had her hands on her hips and her brown eyes glinted with a promise of pain that was come to pass.

"Sorry Erza…" Gray squeaked nervously.

"Aye!" Natsu nodded furiously in agreement.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Lucy had pressed her fingers to her temples,

"Honestly Natsu, why do you think acting like Happy #2 will make a difference?"

He opened his mouth to growl out a retort only for Erza's steadfast glare to stop him in his tracks. The last thing he needed was for him to give more reason to the red head to beat him up; sure he could be reckless, but he wasn't stupid…he wanted to live another day damnit!

"Natsu and Gray," Erza began sternly, "I'm not going to allow either of you to back out of this mission, is that clear?"

"But Erza…" Gray muttered before he was interrupted by the red headed menace.

"No buts about it Gray Fullbuster," She growled, "We are a team after all, it wouldn't be right if we took on a mission without either of you."

Happy raised his paw from his post in the air,

"And the team _is_ called 'Team Natsu' it would only make sense for Natsu to go!"

The pinkette scowled at the Exceed,

"That's not what you were saying a few seconds ago, you traitor!"

"Then it's decided!" Lucy clapped her hands together excitedly, "I'll bring the request over to Mira and tell her that we're taking it; let's go Wendy!"

The sky dragon slayer nodded her head enthusiastically as Lucy grabbed onto her hand and dragged her towards the bar to talk to Mira. Natsu slumped back onto his spot on the bench and folded his arms across his chest in defeat. He felt Gray settle down beside him and he knew that if he looked at his rival, the ice mage would have the same expression on his face. He watched as Erza nodded at them in approval before wandering off to join the other girls.

"C'mon guys," Happy chirped from above him, "Who knows, maybe the mission will be more fun than you think!"

"Oh yeah," Gray muttered darkly, " _So_ much fun."

Natsu sighed loudly and rested his hands behind his head,

"You never know, it might be better than we think…"

The ice mage's deep blue eyes leveled on him flatly,

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Yeah…I know it." Natsu agreed without a fight.

One thing that Natsu always looked forward to each day (other than picking a fight with Gray of course) was going out on a mission with his friends. However, he knew that when he got up tomorrow he was going to feel very different about the matter. For the difference lied in the contents of the mission that Lucy and Wendy had so cleverly selected that day…

"Why did they have to pick working at a Host Club of all things?!"

FTFTFTFT

Natsu buried his nose into his scarf as he glared from his spot in the back of the preparation room. The Host Club that they were working at wasn't due to open for another twenty minutes, but he couldn't wish more for the entire mission to be over and done with. When they made it to the village of Ouran, Natsu knew right away that he didn't like it one little bit…everything was so _pink_ …and _flowery_ …and _expensive_! If anything it explained why the reward on the request was so high; they were tasked with serving a bunch of rich snobs. It was going to be a long mission, he could feel it in his bones.

"Natsu!" Erza's authoritative voice called out, "Stop pouting back there and start preparing for our guests!"

The dragon slayer scowled,

"Do we really have to do this…while wearing these _stupid_ get-ups?!"

The armoured mage flipped her hair over her shoulder,

"Of course we do; it's part of the job after all."

Natsu glared down at his bluish-purple suit jacket, white button-up shirt and black slacks with loathing; the damn outfit was too damn constricting. He practically had to get on his hands and knees to beg both Erza and the Vice-President of this so-called club to let him wear his scarf around his neck instead of the damn tie that came with the clothing. He almost set the glasses wearing bastard on fire for even _thinking_ about making him take off his scarf.

"Natsu," Lucy walked out of the change room and adjusted the collar of the yellow dress she was wearing, "It's just for one day, can't you just deal with it?"

"Whatever…" He pouted petulantly; though he'd deny that fact for the rest of time.

He pushed himself away from his position on the wall and walked over to the ornate table on the far side of the room which had all the cups and silverware that would be needed for their 'guests'; god, this was going to be a long day. He lifted a plate full of cups and started to make his way towards one of the coffee tables in the center of the room only for the tip of his foot to catch the corner of a carpet and sent him flying. He landed face first onto the carpet and cursed at the burn that stretched from his temple to his jaw line; stupid rug burn!

He rubbed his face as he looked up at the now falling cups and felt all the blood drain from his face. On instinct, Natsu dove for each of the cups and managed to catch every single one of them before they managed to touch the ground and shatter. Even if he believed that he could take the Vice-President of the Host Club on in a fight, there was still the fact that the glasses wearing psycho had a bit of an Erza streak in him and frankly, that was terrifying in itself.

"Be careful Natsu!" Lucy shrieked from the other side of the room, "You can't break any of their things; it would cost our entire reward and then some to even think about replacing it!"

"Lucy's right Natsu," Erza scolded him, "You shouldn't be so clumsy."

"Oh yeah?" He complained in annoyance, "Then why don't either of you worry about setting up the room?!"

"Because," Lucy shrugged indifferently as she held up a pin cushion and motioned towards Wendy, "We have to work on making changes to Wendy and Carla's dresses; they don't fit them properly at all."

"Well that's because one of them is a cat," Natsu rolled his eyes, "Happy was able to get dressed without a problem."

"Aye sir!" Happy chirped as he flew around the room excitedly, "C'mon Carla, maybe we can find a bow tie for you too!~"

"I think not," Carla's cheeks turned bright red, "I may be a cat, but I _am_ a girl! I have to look presentable unlike a tomcat like yourself."

"But Carla!" Happy whined as he slumped to the floor in defeat.

"Don't worry about them Happy; they're just being annoying," Natsu looked away from the girls, "Speaking of annoying, where the hell is the ice bastard?! Don't tell me he skipped out on us when we weren't looking!"

"Like hell I did you pyro!" An irritated voice called from the dressing rooms, "I'm just having trouble with this damn suit…"

"Trouble eh?" Natsu smirked mischievously, "Trouble keeping it _on_ , you exhibitionist?!"

Gray poked his head out from behind the curtain and glared at him,

"Shut the hell up fire breath! It doesn't concern you in the slightest!"

"Maybe not," The vice-president voiced from the corner of the room; his hand scribbling furiously in his little black book, "But it does concern me Mr. Fullbuster, I suggest you keep your clothes on if you wish to receive the reward in full."

"Yeah, yeah," Gray rolled his eyes as he went back into the change room, "I heard you the first time you cynical bastard."

"Good," The vice-president snapped his book closed and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "As long as we're clear."

"Oi Glasses," Natsu called out to the vice-president, "This is a Host _Club_ right? Where are the usual hosts?"

The vice-president scowled,

"First of all you simpleton, I have a name and it's Kyoya Ootori and second of all, the Host Club King thought it was pertinent that he share his influenza with the entirety of club excluding myself and Haruhi, who was lucky enough to be on vacation with her father. Due to this, you now find yourself and your friends picking up his slack."

"Okay?" Natsu raised an eyebrow at his formal speech, "I didn't understand most of that…hang on, if your 'king' got all the hosts sick, why are you fine?"

Kyoya smirked and the chandelier's light glinted off his glasses,

"That's easy, only idiots catch colds."

Natsu's eye twitch in annoyance at the condescending tone of the raven haired male; he wanted nothing more than to teach the prissy boy a lesson. He frowned to himself thoughtfully; wasn't it supposed to be that idiots couldn't catch colds? He thought he heard that somewhere before; though he couldn't place it. Natsu was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of a curtain sliding open. He turned towards the changing rooms in order to make fun of his rival, who had finally exited, only to have his words die on his lips.

He was pretty sure that his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't bring himself to care; for some reason he couldn't take his eyes off Gray. While the purple suit seemed to clash with Natsu's entire personality and features, it was as if the clothing was _made_ for the ice mage. The purple of the suit brought out his deep blue eyes and accented his pale skin and dark hair. Natsu narrowed his eyes as the raven fidgeted with the tie around his neck; had it always been so long?

Natsu's cheeks started to burn as he realized what had just gone through his head; clearly something was wrong with him. There was absolutely no way he was admiring Gray's features like that. Nope, no way in hell; he had to be delusional. He hummed to himself as he remembered that he didn't have a chance to eat his third helping of breakfast that morning; that had to be the reason why he was thinking so strangely.

"Wow Gray!" Lucy shouted excitedly, "That really looks great on you!"

The ice mage rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment,

"Uh, I don't know about that…"

"No," Wendy smiled brightly at him as she smoothed out her now hemmed skirt, "Lucy-san is right; that colour is very beautiful on you Gray-san."

Natsu forced a boisterous laugh; he had to make sure that the girls didn't notice his slip up,

"Beautiful? I don't think that's the right word to describe the ice bastard Wendy; he looks like he has something shoved up his ass if you ask me."

Gray glared at his rival,

"Oh shut up Natsu! If I were you I wouldn't be talking; I look way better than you ever could."

"Ha," The dragon slayer smirked, "I'd like to see you try snowflake."

"There's no point in me trying fire breath," The raven looked at him through his lashes, "I'll let the ladies answer that for you."

Natsu fought back the scowl that threatened to commandeer his face at Gray's implication. The ice mage could be such a cocky asshole sometimes; why did he insist on pissing him off? He huffed through his nose and folded his arms across his chest again; turning his gaze away. However, in doing so he was now facing Happy who had a strange smile on his face. The expression on his friend's face caused a weird chill to sweep down his spine.

"What are you smiling about?" He demanded in annoyance.

"Noooothing~" The Exceed sung teasingly, "You're just being funny…and strange~"

"Oh be quiet." He frowned bitterly, "I'm not acting strange."

Happy laughed and shook his head,

"If you say so…"

"I know so!" He shouted defensively, "I'm telling you, there's nothing going on!"

"Natsu," Erza said sternly, "Now's not the time to be shouting and Happy don't egg him on; the last thing we need his for him to destroy something."

Natsu looked away from the S-Class mage and pouted,

"You destroy just as much things as I do…"

The great Titania's eyebrow twitched in irritation,

"What did you just say?"

"N-Nothing!" Natsu took that opportunity to move as far away as he could from his disciplinarian; he really wanted to get through this lame mission in one piece.

The sound of a book snapping shut drew his attention to the vice-president of the club. His sharp brown eyes seemed to look over the fairies keenly before nodding his head in approval. He pushed his index finger against the bridge of his glasses and smiled darkly. Natsu found himself gulping as the teen's dark aura, which was almost as dark and intimidating as Erza's, caused him to quake in fear; who knew the glasses wearing bastard could be so damn terrifying?! He was sure that Erza herself was even uncomfortable right about now.

"It's about time for the doors to open," He announced with a smirk, "Remember to follow the rules that I set for each of you or else I'll dock your reward; make enough mistakes and you might very well be in debt to _me_."

Natsu jumped slightly when he felt Gray elbow him in the side; the bastard must have wandered over to him while he was distracted by the vice-president,

"Man, that guy is freaky; he gives me a bad feeling."

"Me too," The pinkette nodded, "But not in a 'take over the world' kind of way…"

"He's giving the 'Erza is about to smite us' vibe." The ice mage nodded thoughtfully as he fiddled with his tie again, "Guess that means we better do what he says."

"Pretty much." Natsu smirked at his rival, "Want to make a bet?"

Gray released his tie and smirked at him in return,

"What kind of bet?"

"Whoever has the least guests at the end of the mission has to do whatever the one who has the most guests says for an entire week."

"You're on!" Gray laughed, "You're so going down flame brain!"

"We'll see about that popsicle pants!"

They bumped fists with each other in order to finalize their bet and Gray wandered off to talk to Lucy and Erza who had called him over to them; he wouldn't be surprised if they were threatening him with bodily harm if he even _thinks_ about taking off his clothing. It serves the stripper right though; after nearly twelve years, you'd think that he'd have that habit under control by now.

That aside, at least the two of them had thought up a way to make this mission somewhat bearable. Now all he had to do was beat the ice bastard and then he'd have a slave for a week; he'd be able to torture his rival all week without Gray even being able to complain. Natsu knew he had this in the bag no problem. After all he was fun-loving, funny and could make people smile; he was sure that Gray only knew how to brood, there was no way Gray was going to win.

Hell would have to freeze over first, he was sure of it.

FTFTFTFT

This was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

And coming from Natsu Dragneel that sure as hell meant something; he never thought girls could be so difficult…or annoying. He felt his eyebrow twitch slightly as the group of girls he was 'hosting' squealed at him; apparently they were fans of Fairy Tail. Natsu sweatdropped as he realized that this was what a room full of Juvias would be like. The girl sitting in front of him held her cup of tea in her hand gracefully as she took a light sip from it.

"So Natsu," She simpered, "What can you tell us about being in a magical guild? It must be really dangerous…"

"Nah," He rested his arms behind his head, "It's a lot of fun though and with a guild like Fairy Tail, the members become your second family…"

"Aw," A girl with blonde hair placed her hand on her cheek wistfully, "That sounds so beautiful~"

"Takara's right," Another girl with red hair whispered, "I wish that I could have bonds like that…"

Natsu opened his mouth to respond the red head only to have girly giggles interrupt him. He turned his head to glare at the table across from them. Gray was lounging in his chair and _smiling_ at the girls he was hosting. He fought back a frown as he took in the raven's _smile_ ; it was very rare that people got to see that side of him and the fact that complete strangers were allowed to pissed him off.

He looked over his rival and realized that in the past hour, the ice mage had only stripped off the purplish-blue overcoat. His white dress shirt sleeves were bunched up to his elbows and his black tie hung loosely on his neck; exposing more alabaster skin. Natsu felt the palms of his hands itch; how had those girls made Gray so _comfortable_ with them?!

"Uhm Natsu?"

The dragon slayer jumped in surprise as he turned to face his guests; he had completely forgotten that they were there…oops…

"Sorry about that," Natsu smiled at them and rubbed the back of his head, "I thought I saw a bee in the room…"

"A-A bee?!" The blonde haired girl (Taco-something?) squealed.

"Ah no!" He shook his head frantically, "I only imagined it, it was nothing; even if there was a bee, I'm sure that I'd be able to protect you from it!"

"How sweet!" Tea cup-girl blushed, "You're so brave!"

Natsu blinked at the girls dumbly; where they really that scared of a bee? The worst thing a bee could ever do was sting them…he shook his head slightly and took a deep breath. That wasn't the point; the point is he has to stay focused on Gray. NO! He had to stay focused on the girls in front of him so that he could _beat_ the ice princess in their bet. Jeez, how had he managed to mess his inner monologue up?!

"It's nothing really," He laughed and waved them off, "It's all part of the job."

"Someone's getting cocky…"

"Happy!" Natsu shouted as the cat laughed into his paw and floated above the chaise they were seated on, "That was mean!"

"Is that a talking cat?" The red head asked excitedly; her eyes sparkling like stars.

"Aye sir!" The Exceed tilted his head to the side and smiled brightly.

"Aw, you're so adorable!" The blonde girl leaned over the table and snatched Happy from out of the air and squeezed him to her chest.

"Ah Natsu!" He called breathlessly, "Help me!"

"That's what you get for picking on me; you're on your own this time."

"So mean~" Happy whined as tea cup-girl started pulling on his cheek.

The dragon slayer laughed at his friend's unfortunate circumstance and got up from the chaise. He told the girls that he was going to grab them some more tea, but it was obvious that they weren't even thinking about him anymore. He shrugged his shoulders indifferently and made his way to the coffee, tea and snacks; no one would question him if he had a _few_ snacks, he deserved a break anyways.

When he reached the table, he leaned against the table ledge and picked up a mini sandwich from the platter. He sniffed it experimentally and his stomach immediately rumbled; the snack was gone within the next second…and not just the one snack either…more like the whole platter, but no one would miss them. He watched his friends as they interacted with the guests that they had to entertain.

Wendy and Carla were working together; they actually worked as the perfect tag team for something like this. The vice-president allowed (for the one time only) the middle school students in the affiliated school to come to the Host Club so that Wendy could be more relaxed with people her age. Despite the fact that her male guests were the same age as her, the sky dragon slayer was still her shy and awkward self, but that was where Carla came in. Where Wendy was shy, Carla was outspoken and where Wendy was awkward, Carla was proper.

Even though Carla was a cat, the boys were pretty impressed with her and even Wendy for that matter. He'd have to be sure to keep an eye on them so he could beat the snot out of any other idiots who tried anything; he'd also have to remember to remind Romeo to get a move on.

He smiled to himself as he reached for another snack; his eyes wandering to Lucy who was surrounded by a group of boys. She seemed to be doing alright and he knew that she could handle herself. Well, there was that and he knew that the perverted lion would be there if she needed him. He chuckled to himself; to him it was obvious why Lucy had such bad luck with dating, but not everyone was lucky enough to have his nose.

As he shoved another dainty into his mouth he found Erza and it was good to see that the guys she was with weren't bleeding and/or unconscious. He stared the guys surrounding the red haired mage and sighed; they were practically drooling all over her. But, he couldn't blame them when she was leaning over the table like that with her breasts in their face; Erza was a true force to be reckoned with…what those two didn't know was that she was waiting on someone else…

The power of his nose was truly a great thing.

He scoffed to himself as he licked chocolate off his fingers. The members of the guild always teased him to being oblivious about love, but honestly he had to be the most intelligent person on the subject. All because he could tell who was attracted to who by the way they smelt; if only they knew how much he knew.

Natsu found himself scowling as his eyes landed on the ice mage once more. He cringed as a girl that he was hosting placed a hand on Gray's knee and the raven did nothing about it. Okay, sure Gray occasionally let Juvia hang off him, but really there was nothing he could do about that; he could push that girl away if he wanted to, Gray didn't even know her. Why in the hell was the frost breath acting so damn strange?!

He reached for another snack only for his hand never to reach the plate. He grasped at empty air for a moment before he turned his head to see black tendrils looping around his wrist. He stared at the tendrils dumbfounded until he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He shifted his gaze to see Kyoya leaning against the wall; his pen scribbling into his notebook.

"Oi," Natsu pulled on his arm, "What's the meaning of this?!"

Kyoya sighed and the black tendrils retracted,

"No more sweets for you Mr. Dragneel; I swear you're worse than Honey-senpai."

"Huh?"

"Nothing," The vice-president paused in his writing, "I suggest you get back to hosting; that's what you're here for after all."

"I will," Natsu crossed his arms, "I'm just taking a break."

"That's funny," Kyoya snapped his book shut, "Didn't you make a bet with Mr. Fullbuster?"

"How'd you…"

"This is my domain Mr. Dragneel," He huffed exasperatedly, "You two were also only two meters from me and neither of you are that quiet."

"Or you're just a creepy bastard."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow at him,

"My knowledge of your silly bet is not of importance, but if you're curious you should know that Mr. Fullbuster is beating you."

"What?!"

"In all honesty if he wasn't a part of your guild I'd ask him to join us as a host," He tapped his finger against his temple, "He'd be a great asset; he's a hit with the female _and_ male guests, his talent is quite unprecedented."

Natsu's mouth opened and closed uselessly before he whipped his head around towards Gray to realize that he was now surrounded by male guests. His eye twitched in annoyance as one of the guests brushed his fingers over the back of Gray's hand; and the ice mage _let him_ do it. Girls were one thing, but boys too?! There was no way he was going to take this one lying down; what the hell was Gray's problem?! He took a step forward to march towards the ice mage and settle this once and for all when it seemed like he was washed with cold water.

Forget Gray, what the hell was with _him_ today?!

Honestly, maybe he ate too much sweets or something; yeah, that made a lot more sense. He moved away from the snack table to go back to his section so that he could beat Gray in the bet. That's what he had to focus on…maybe his weird thoughts would go away after he beat him. He was almost completely turned away when one of the male guests in front of Gray had the balls to touch Gray's cheek.

Without another word to Kyoya, Natsu ran across the room with fire on his heels and dove at the man who had _dared_ touch Gray. The guest yelled as he was flipped over the back of the chair with Natsu landing on top of him with a flaming fist pulled back ready to strike. He growled under his breath threateningly causing the guest to shrink away in fear; Natsu smirked. The boy was staring into the face of a dragon.

He caught a whiff of mint as Gray grabbed the back of Natsu's jacket and tried to pull him off the guest, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"He _dared_ …"

"Natsu Dragneel!" Erza yelled furiously as she stomped towards him, "Let him go this instant!"

Against his better nature, Natsu ignored the furious red head and pulled the boy underneath him forward so that their noses were practically touching. He glared at the boy as he began to shake his shoulders; the boy's black hair falling into his face from the movement.

" _You_ ," Natsu hissed, "What made you think you could touch what was _mine_."

"Uh…" The boy stuttered nervously.

"ANSWER ME!"

Natsu was so angry he didn't realize how hot he was making the room until the temperature drastically dropped. The grip that was once on the back of his purple jacket had disappeared forcing him to turn and look at Gray whose deep blue eyes were shadowed by his raven bangs. The dragon slayer released the teen that was under him when he noticed Gray's hands, his weapons, twitch with mist weaving intricately through his fingertips.

" _Yours_ …" Gray spat dangerously, "Who in the hell gave you the idea that I was _yours_?!"

"Gray, Natsu," Lucy pushed herself to the front of the group that formed around the three in the centre; Erza and Wendy by her side, "You guys just need to calm down…"

Natsu clenched his fists at his sides as flames started to swallow his forearms,

"From the same place where you got the idea that it was okay for you to be so casual with everyone!"

"Casual?!" Gray roared as he put his hand to his palm, "I was doing my job!"

Natsu was about to retort when a sword went flying through the space between them and embedded in the wall on the other side of the room. A collective shiver went through the room as the temperature of the room stabilized. Natsu stared fearfully at Erza as her razor sharp brown eyes dug into his very soul.

"Boys!" Erza requipped a sword into her hand and pointed at the two of them threateningly, "If you start fighting in this room, I'll punish you both severely!"

"Honestly," Carla huffed as she shook her head in exasperation, "Boys are so savage."

"Now," The Queen of the Fairies glared at them sternly, "Both of you are going to go outside and talk this over calmly like the best friends you are; is that clear?!"

"Yes ma'am!" Gray squeaked as he looped an arm around the dragon slayer's neck.

"Aye!" Natsu shouted nervously as he mirrored the ice mage.

Under the watchful eyes of Titania Erza, the duo made their way towards the double doors that was their escape out of the room. As he was leaving, Natsu noticed that Kyoya still retained his position next to the snack table with his book held loosely in his arm. Only this time, there was girl with reddish brown hair standing next to him with a pink bow in her hair; he was pretty sure he saw sparkles in her eyes, but that could've been from the lights. However, do to his hearing he was able to catch onto their conversation before they were completely out of the room.

"I never thought I'd meet a person who was oblivious enough to make Tamaki look observant." Kyoya muttered, "Let alone two."

"Yeah well, I did tell you that Fairy Tail was a rather different guild," The girl giggled mischievously, "If it's all the same to you, I ship them."

Whatever that meant, he hoped that Mira and her never met and became friends.

FTFTFTFT

Silence.

Natsu and Gray had been standing in complete silence ever since they had all but run through the halls and down to the courtyard next to the water fountain. Upon reaching the fountain, Gray had sat down on the cement ledge and crossed his arms over his chest. Natsu stood in front of the ice mage and tried to look anywhere but at him. He wished that they could just fight and get it over with, like old times, but they couldn't even think about it; Natsu could sense that Erza was watching them like a hawk and he knew that Gray could feel it too.

"So," Gray's monotonous voice came from behind him, "Are you going to tell me what the hell that was about?"

Natsu frowned,

"It was nothing; don't worry about it."

The ice mage glared at the fire mage darkly,

"Natsu stop being a flame brained idiot; what made you think you could go all dragon and shit on non-magic users?"

The dragon slayer ground his teeth and refused to answer. How could he answer when he didn't even understand what happened himself? He felt his magic sing through his veins again, but he suppressed it; this was not something they could fight over, no matter how much easier that outcome would be.

"I know you're reckless squinty eyes," Gray continued when he didn't say anything, "But it's not like you to do that to an innocent person…"

Natsu growled in frustration,

"It's your fault ice princess, so don't pin this all on me."

"And what did I do?" He demanded, "I was doing the job and winning our bet; what, did you throw a fit because you didn't want to be my servant for a week; if that's the reason that's pretty low."

"That wasn't it at all," Natsu growled, "I take our deals seriously ice bastard, even you should know that."

"Then what the hell was that in there!" Gray shouted in frustration as he jumped to his feet, "What made you think you could just stand there and declare that I belong to you?!"

The dragon slayer scowled,

"I don't know, alright?!"

Natsu watched as all the hot air seemed to go out of Gray's sails. The anger that had appeared on his rival/best friend's face seemed to give way to confusion at the pinkette's statement. He closed his eyes and sighed; at least they seemed to be on the same page now. After a few more moments of tense silence, Natsu reopened his eyes and his honey green orbs locked on the ice mage.

"It's your fault though," He mumbled, "You've been acting strange all day; letting strangers touch you and smiling as if you were the happiest person in the world being there. The glasses wearing bastard even mentioned that he would've asked you to join the Host Club because you were so good at it…it made me so angry!"

"I…" Gray tried, but Natsu started to speak over him.

"I've known you for over ten years ice princess and you've only smiled like that around me a handful of times and the only time I ever get to think about touching you is when we're fighting." Natsu rambled, "Over ten years of knowing each other and yet you let those shade-y bastards touch you and talk to you as if they've known you for just as long…

"It just pissed me off alright?!" He finished with a loud huff and a red blush covering his cheeks.

Natsu curled his fingers into his palms as he felt his hands sweat; of course it was Gray of all people that had the ability to make him uncomfortable and make him act funny. Maybe Happy was right, he was being a little strange today…maybe just a little.

"Oi fire breath," Natsu glanced towards his rival to see the corner of his mouth twitching, "Are you _jealous_?"

The dragon slayer felt his cheeks burn even more as he sputtered,

"NO! Of course not you stupid stripper! Why would I be jealous of a dumbass like you?!"

Gray smacked the back of his head causing Natsu to curse,

"That's not what I meant and you call _me_ the dumbass."

The pinkette rubbed the back of his head as he glared at the ice mage. However, the longer he looked at his rival, the more that he noticed that he wasn't the only one suffering from an uncomfortable blush. Natsu furrowed his brow for a moment as a thought struck him, but it couldn't be…could it…

"Ice block," Natsu's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Were you _trying_ to make me jealous?"

"No," Gray forced out and avoided his gaze, "Why would I do that? You really are a dumbass."

The angry fire that had been coursing through his body cooled as he stared at the reddened face of his rival and best friend. Natsu smirked to himself as he walked to the ice mage who had turned his attention onto the spouts of water coming out of the water fountain. He stopped walking when he side by side with Gray; their shoulders brushing as they both refused to look at each other.

"So you like me huh?" Natsu teased lightly.

"Maybe…" Gray muttered with a snort, "But you like me too remember?"

He hummed in amusement as the back of his hand brushed against Gray's,

"I never actually said that."

The ice mage raised an incredulous eyebrow,

"You're kidding right? You attacked someone because he touched my face."

"But you made it so he would touch you; that's cheating."

"You still tackled him." Gray argued back, "Therefore you told me you liked me first."

Natsu scowled,

"No because you didn't know why I tackled the asshole either or did you forget because you have ice for brains?"

"Actually ash for brains, I caught you staring at me before the guests even came in; that's why I tried egging you on in the first place."

Natsu was about to retort when he chuckled under his breath as he realized what they were doing. Gray smiled as he seemed to come to the same conclusion as his rival. The raven ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation.

"So we say we like each other and then we fight; I'd say that's pretty standard for us."

"Seems like it," Natsu agreed, "But we shouldn't really be surprised…"

"No I guess not," Gray smiled at him, "The guild probably will though."

"You got that right!"

The dragon slayer slid his arm around Gray's waist as they continued to stare at the water fountain. He half expected the ice princess to through his arm off, but was pleasantly surprised when the ice mage let him be. They stood in silence for a few moments until Natsu thought of one problem that they might have when they got back…

"I dibs out on telling Juvia though; that's all you man."

Gray's shoulders slumped as if a dark cloud of depression formed over him,

"Ah damnit, I forgot about her."

Natsu pressed his nose into the ice mage's hair and inhaled,

"Don't worry I'll be there…laughing."

Gray elbowed him in the stomach with a soft smile gracing his features,

"Screw you."

It was at that moment that Natsu knew that even though they were together, or at least they were going to try, that they were never going to change. They were still going to fight more than they got along. They were still going to go on missions together. They were still going to get the snot beat out of them by Erza from time to time. But the best part of them being together was that Natsu was going to be able to see that smile a lot more often.

THE END

 **Hey Minna! Here's the second prompt from EternalFlame401 and it's hella late, but hopefully all you readers can forgive me! I'm working on all the prompts simultaneously so I'm hoping to get them posted more often. I feel bad for not being able to post as frequently as I wanted to, but I've been going through a lot in my life lately (lots of soul searching, re-contemplating my relationship with my bf, figuring out what I want in life and work probs as well). So I'm so sorry for not being able to keep up for you guys!**

 **As for this prompt, I don't know how I feel about it yet lol XD EternalFlame401 I hope you and the other readers can find something that you like about it; I struggled a lot with this one. I struggled with the OOC-ness of characters and with making Natsu jealous when he and Gray weren't even together yet (basically I should have made this an established relationship fic lol) :P Gah! I'm waiting on your reviews!**

 **-sktrgrl**

 _ **Also, a huge thanks to those who favourited/followed/reviewed this fic! All of you are awesome and keep me going :) And I want to let the two guests who gave me prompts recently that I am working on them! XD Hopefully you can see them soon!**_


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